Labor
Labor policy and administration
Hourly wages back on table amid concerns
Authorities have pushed the adoption of hourly wages while labour activists remain wary that employees in some industries would be further exploited.As unemployment soars in the wake of the coronavirus outbreak — 9 million Thais are forecast to lose jobs as a result of the ...
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Labour Rights curtailed during COVID-19
The Thai Ministry of Labour has invoked the Emergency Decree to prohibit labour strikes and lockouts during the Covid-19 outbreak. Any labour disputes will be transferred to the Labour Relations Committee appointed by Chatumongol Sonakul, the Minister of Labour.The order has been in effect from ...
Labour Ministry readying more help
The Labour Ministry will next week ask the cabinet to approve a fresh proposal on financial aid for another group of 800,000 workers affected by the Covid-19 pandemic, according to Labour Minister MR Chatu Mongol Sonakul.He said these workers are not covered by the relief ...
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Minimum wage waive floated to sustain SMEs
The government is being advised to waive the daily minimum wage requirement for six months to help entrepreneurs maintain employment during the pandemic.Thanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the National Labour Development Advisory Council, said the council estimated that the country’s total unemployed could reach 9-10 million ...
Chatrudee Theparat
Respect labour rights to avert sanction
Apart from the baht getting stronger, Thai exports will suffer another big blow when the United States cuts Thailand’s duty-free trade privileges due to the poor protection of workers’ rights.From April, the suspension of trade privileges for Thailand under the Generalised System of Preferences (GSP) ...
Yongyuth Chalamwong & Ratree Prasomsup
Workers to feel pinch of grinding economy
Workers’ wages won’t stretch very far this year amid a protracted economic slowdown that will hit pockets hard, say experts and labour leaders.“Save wages to pay off debts and work overtime to make ends meet”, is advice that sums up the outlook for workers this ...
Penchan Charoensuthipan
Wage hike offers only small relief
The new minimum daily wage rate, with a few baht increase depending on location, will take effect as of Wednesday in what is dubbed a tiny new year’s gift for labourers.The new structure which is announced in the Royal Gazette on Friday will see minimum ...
Editorial
SMEs push back on wage hike
Smaller firms may delay investment and recruitment next year because of the recent minimum wage increase of 5-6 baht per day, says the Federation of Thai SMEs.Last Friday, the national wage committee agreed to hike the daily minimum wage from 308-330 baht to 313-336 baht. ...
Lamonphet Apisitniran
Working group urges Thailand to address labor abuses in wake of GSP suspension
In the wake of the US government suspending billions of dollars in trade preferences for Thailand due to worker rights issues, organizations participating in the Seafood Working Group released a statement on Human Rights Day strongly urging the Thai government to undertake the necessary reforms ...
No adverse impacts on businesses from minimum wage hike, says expert
An increase in the minimum wage by Bt5 to Bt6 will neither hike the cost liability for entrepreneurs nor increase inflation, Anusorn Tamajai, the director of the Economic and Business Research Centre for Reform at Rangsit University’s Institute of Economics, said yesterday (December 8).“An increase ...
The Nation Reporter