Almost 40% Of Workers Say Minimum Wage Not Enough: Poll

By Pravit Rojanaphruk, Senior Staff Writer

 

Undated photo of former Thammakaset chicken farm workers. Photo: Andy Hall / Twitter

 

BANGKOK — Blue collar workers said in a Tuesday university poll that the minimum wage was insufficient to make a living in a poll released to mark Labor Day.

 

Bangkok Poll, who conducted a survey on 1,045 blue collar workers aged 18 and above in the capital and its vicinities between April 24 and 27, said 39.9 percent of respondents thought the new minimum wage was not enough to make ends meet and that they had to resort to loans.

 

Full story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2018/05/01/almost-40-of-workers-say-minimum-wage-not-enough-poll/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-05-01

The authorities will be tickled pink to see Andy's smiling visage at the right rear of that photo of the Myanmar workers..

Having people working 6 days a week is beyond the pale,when I started

work (just after the industrial revolution)many ,many years ago,you had

to work 5.5 days a week,I don't know what the average working week is

in the UK now,?, I suppose the employers look at it,why would they need

more time off,they are not earning enough to go anywhere or do anything !

 

It seems to me the workers here are living to work,not working for a living.

the 1 % are doing very well off the backs of the workers,I am not a communist

or a socialist, been a businessman,company owner all my working life,Its

just that Thailand needs to desperately improve conditions and pay for its

working population,some will say its got to be this way to compete with

other countries in the area,well I say what about giving some of the profits

back to the workers,instead of the already wealthy owners and shareholders.

Then some will say Thais are lazy,they deserve what they get,I would not give

my best effort either for the long hours and pitance offered.

regards worgeordie

Certainly some issues with that poll, in OZ 100% would say the minimum wages isn't enough and  for what it's worth neither is the aged pension. .............................................

But spare a thought for the poor old businessman who has invested his fortune in this country (duped because he thought it was cheap labour but he wasn't warned about the gross inefficiencies although that's a different story)

you can't expect an even higher  minimum wage which in 2011 inexplicably suddenly shot up from 215 to 300 a day in one day and when compared to neighbouring countries Thailand has already priced itself out of the market particularly when you consider all the public holidays they have here. Labour costs in countries such as Cambodia, Vietnam, Laos and Myanmar is already a much better deal, not only in terms of the daily minimum wage but the added benefits of a much better worker attitude than in Thailand and far superior English speaking skills.

 

 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by midas

9 minutes ago, worgeordie said:

Having people working 6 days a week is beyond the pale,when I started

work (just after the industrial revolution)many ,many years ago,you had

to work 5.5 days a week,I don't know what the average working week is

in the UK now,?, I suppose the employers look at it,why would they need

more time off,they are not earning enough to go anywhere or do anything !

 

It seems to me the workers here are living to work,not working for a living.

the 1 % are doing very well off the backs of the workers,I am not a communist

or a socialist, been a businessman,company owner all my working life,Its

just that Thailand needs to desperately improve conditions and pay for its

working population,some will say its got to be this way to compete with

other countries in the area,well I say what about giving some of the profits

back to the workers,instead of the already wealthy owners and shareholders.

Then some will say Thais are lazy,they deserve what they get,I would not give

my best effort either for the long hours and pitance offered.

regards worgeordie

 " I would not give my best effort either for the long hours and pitance offered."

 

But the problem for Thailand is that the workers in adjoining countries (Cambodia, Vietnam, etc ) don't think that way and are prepared to give far more effort for significantly less money than in Thailand

 

I would love to see those Westerners or well-off Thais who have had the good fortune and luxury of a fine education and are in a position to earn a decent salary try to survive on the pathetic pittance of a 'salary' many Thais earn  - which would not even pay for one of the wealthy's weekly restaurant meals.

 

If I had been born into a poor peasant family in the Thai countryside, with a dreadful school to attend (no air conditioning, sometimes no electricity, no academically reliable books) headed up by teachers who know almost nothing about the subjects they teach, with English teachers who can barely speak English, with little cultural motivation to improve my knowledge base and with no suitable place to study and improve myself even if I did wish to do so  - I very much doubt that I would be in the overall (relatively) happy situation I enjoy today. And we should always remember that there is HUGE wealth in this country - but concentrated into a tiny few hands (including the hands of some of the richest people on the planet - but I won't name any names ...).

 

It makes me sick to hear comfortable people saying that Thais who are living on a few hundred baht per day should be content with their lot and not ask for more.

 

Charles Dickens (of Oliver Twist fame) must be turning in his grave!

 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by Eligius

It's a roundabout that will never stop. Pay higher minimum wage and in around 3 months with price rises needed to support the rise your back to square one. Thais don't realize that any income rise has to be funded and the only way is in price rises... Greater efficiency is never going to happen sadly . Thais don't in the main work hard and you could argue why should they . The only way it will change is if they are rewarded fairly for working harder and more efficiently . Let's be honest it's not a minimum wage as such but a set standard wage or would seem like that 

 

Its fine to say minimum wages are not enough but only if you give the average living costs for basic necessities to compare.

It's a similar problem worldwide, there will always be a huge divide between the wealthy and the people on the poverty line.

It takes money to make money, or it takes opportunity. Sadly the majority lack both !

1 hour ago, webfact said:

Almost 40% Of Workers Say Minimum Wage Not Enough: Poll

Is that all?

 

The previous rise in the Thai Nation Minimum Wage from 215 Baht / day to 300 baht / day , promptly saw a rapid rise in inflation, especially for food, and basics that the people worked for.

However, that said, people the world over do not prioritise their spending, and a smart phone is more important here than eating good food, or staying in a safe secure location.

27 minutes ago, Nigeone said:

It's a roundabout that will never stop. Pay higher minimum wage and in around 3 months with price rises needed to support the rise your back to square one. Thais don't realize that any income rise has to be funded and the only way is in price rises... Greater efficiency is never going to happen sadly . Thais don't in the main work hard and you could argue why should they . The only way it will change is if they are rewarded fairly for working harder and more efficiently . Let's be honest it's not a minimum wage as such but a set standard wage or would seem like that 

 

Yes a good point, Perhaps it should be retitled the "Universal Standard Wage".

It's not about the minimum wage - it's about Thais not being able to manage their finances. Any income is instantaneously spent, and newly acquired credit cards maxed out, before turning to loan sharks. The latest iPhone, the latest this and that... Give Thai workers a daily minimum wage of 1,000 baht and they still won't be able to manage, and with still not a penny invested into future retirement, health care, or education.

I would think 100% of generals can't manage without some kind of covert income stream so how bottom of the pile manages on low wages must be unbelievably hard and 40% unrealistic fiction.

1 hour ago, Eligius said:

I would love to see those Westerners or well-off Thais who have had the good fortune and luxury of a fine education and are in a position to earn a decent salary try to survive on the pathetic pittance of a 'salary' many Thais earn  - which would not even pay for one of the wealthy's weekly restaurant meals.

 

If I had been born into a poor peasant family in the Thai countryside, with a dreadful school to attend (no air conditioning, sometimes no electricity, no academically reliable books) headed up by teachers who know almost nothing about the subjects they teach, with English teachers who can barely speak English, with little cultural motivation to improve my knowledge base and with no suitable place to study and improve myself even if I did wish to do so  - I very much doubt that I would be in the overall (relatively) happy situation I enjoy today. And we should always remember that there is HUGE wealth in this country - but concentrated into a tiny few hands (including the hands of some of the richest people on the planet - but I won't name any names ...).

 

It makes me sick to hear comfortable people saying that Thais who are living on a few hundred baht per day should be content with their lot and not ask for more.

 

Charles Dickens (of Oliver Twist fame) must be turning in his grave!

 

 

If the International Labour Organisation is correct  regarding its forecasting Thailand will have to show even more restraint with its wage levels (despite your protests) not only because of competition with lower wage levels from adjoining south-east Asian countries but also because of this......

 

Quote

Thanks to rapid improvements in automation and artificial intelligence, up to 9.2 million Thais are at a high risk of being replaced by machines, while 8 millions of other jobs are on the line in the next two decades, affecting nearly half of the country’s entire employment, U.N. officials said at a media briefing Tuesday.

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2017/05/31/machines-coming-take-millions-thai-jobs-report/

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by midas

Of course. Companies here need 2 or 3 workers to get same job done by 1 worker in developed nations. Productivity determines your wage.

1 hour ago, midas said:

 

If the International Labour Organisation is correct  regarding its forecasting Thailand will have to show even more restraint with its wage levels (despite your protests) not only because of competition with lower wage levels from adjoining south-east Asian countries but also because of this......

 

 

http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2017/05/31/machines-coming-take-millions-thai-jobs-report/

Thanks for the link to that article, which was quite scary. This replacement of humans by robots and A.I. will probably affect all of us eventually. I think in the future university students will largely be taught by computers and robots. So very sad. Humanity is being downplayed and downgraded. Plans must be made to counter this anti-human trend.

 

As for the need to give lower wages to Thai workers because of 'competition with lower wage levels from adjoining south-east Asian countries': I abhor and reject this race to the bottom. How much less do the Powers That Be (who are immensely wealthy) want to allow the ordinary, mass of the people to earn? Shall we see if our workers can subsist on one bowl of rice a day - and a little bit of soup thrown in? Oh no, no, no! That is uncompetitive: in China, people are living just on one bowl of rice, with no vegetables. I know! Let's make our workers live on just half a bowl of rice a day - or better still, just a few grains of rice. Yes! That should do the trick. Make us REALLY competitive.

 

Oh, what a pity that the workers are mysteriously all dying of malnutrition. Never mind. We have robots that will do the work for us ...

 

Disgusting, pathetic and inhuman.

 

I will NEVER support or espouse this capitalistic or communistic drive to the bottom - to inhuman levels of poverty and exploitation. NEVER!

 

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by Eligius

6 minutes ago, Eligius said:

Thanks for the link to that article, which was quite scary. This replacement of humans by robots and A.I. will probably affect all of us eventually. I think in the future university students will largely be taught by computers and robots. So very sad. Humanity is being downplayed and downgraded. Plans must be made to counter this anti-human trend.

 

As for the need to give lower wages to Thai workers because of 'competition with lower wage levels from adjoining south-east Asian countries': I abhor and reject this race to the bottom. How much less do the Powers That Be (who are immensely wealthy) want to allow the ordinary, mass of the people to earn? Shall we see if our workers can subsist on one bowl of rice a day - and a little bit of soup thrown it? Oh no, no, no! That is uncompetitive: in China, people are living just on one bowl of rice, with no vegetables. I know! Let's make our workers live on just half a bowl of rice a day - or better still, just a few grains of rice. Yes! That should do the trick. Make us REALLY competitive.

 

Oh, what a pity that the workers are mysteriously all dying of malnutrition. Never mind. We have robots that will do the work for us ...

 

Disgusting and pathetic.

 

I will NEVER support or espouse this capitalistic or communistic drive to the bottom - to inhuman levels of poverty and exploitation. NEVER!

I share your sentiment completely but unfortunately this is economics by the standard of the banksters. I have a friend who owns a restaurant on Koh Chang (a Frenchman) and he said to me two years ago he was convinced we are all heading for modern day slavery in one form or another 

One knock on effect of raising the minimum wage is that consumer prices of general everyday items will also rise. So no one ever really wins.
Perhaps educating people how to actually manage what money they earn would be a better option. It is amazing how many people, not just here in Thailand but from all over the world haven't got a clue how to do this. With some careful thought and planning it is quite simple to stretch your available funds a lot further.


Sent from my iPad using Thaivisa Connect

many of these people arent worth 3  baht a  day, the most suitable job for a lot of them would be sitting round staring at a phone and doing nothing except eating/sleeping

13 hours ago, chainarong said:

Certainly some issues with that poll, in OZ 100% would say the minimum wages isn't enough and  for what it's worth neither is the aged pension. .............................................

Yeah except Aussies love a whinge and just happen to have the luxury of the highest minimum wage payment in the world at near 18 dollars and hour imagine how they would be carrying on if the were taking home 12 dollars a day. Poor Thais are getting screwed an they receive nothing even resembling a "living" wage.

Edited May 1, 20188 yr by starky

10 hours ago, shady86 said:

Of course. Companies here need 2 or 3 workers to get same job done by 1 worker in developed nations. Productivity determines your wage.

See how much effort you put into your job when ya bringing down 12 dollars a day hero.

1 hour ago, starky said:

See how much effort you put into your job when ya bringing down 12 dollars a day hero.

ive been paying my staff 800 a day..................made no differe nce at all , still crap in 90% of those employed

1 hour ago, starky said:

Yeah except Aussies love a whinge and just happen to have the luxury of the highest minimum wage payment in the world at near 18 dollars and hour imagine how they would be carrying on if the were taking home 12 dollars a day. Poor Thais are getting screwed an they receive nothing even resembling a "living" wage.

 

Again it comes down to cost of living vs minimum wage...

What's the cost of basic necessities in Oz compared to Thailand ?

I don't know, so not sure who is worse off !

Oh wow.

I am shocked and stunned at this news.

Who would believe that those on minimum wage say they want more?

14 hours ago, Eligius said:

I would love to see those Westerners or well-off Thais who have had the good fortune and luxury of a fine education and are in a position to earn a decent salary try to survive on the pathetic pittance of a 'salary' many Thais earn  - which would not even pay for one of the wealthy's weekly restaurant meals.

 

If I had been born into a poor peasant family in the Thai countryside, with a dreadful school to attend (no air conditioning, sometimes no electricity, no academically reliable books) headed up by teachers who know almost nothing about the subjects they teach, with English teachers who can barely speak English, with little cultural motivation to improve my knowledge base and with no suitable place to study and improve myself even if I did wish to do so  - I very much doubt that I would be in the overall (relatively) happy situation I enjoy today. And we should always remember that there is HUGE wealth in this country - but concentrated into a tiny few hands (including the hands of some of the richest people on the planet - but I won't name any names ...).

 

It makes me sick to hear comfortable people saying that Thais who are living on a few hundred baht per day should be content with their lot and not ask for more.

 

Charles Dickens (of Oliver Twist fame) must be turning in his grave!

 

 

You summed it up well.

 

 

2 hours ago, starky said:

Yeah except Aussies love a whinge and just happen to have the luxury of the highest minimum wage payment in the world at near 18 dollars and hour imagine how they would be carrying on if the were taking home 12 dollars a day. Poor Thais are getting screwed an they receive nothing even resembling a "living" wage.

 

It's all relative to the cost of living now init.

 

This shows the highest minimum  wages paid in the top 5 cities in USA.   And believe me I doubt it offers any luxury for those stuck in that dead end race.

 

https://www.investopedia.com/articles/investing/080515/top-5-us-cities-highest-minimum-wage.asp

 

 

The term "minimum wage" is used however from what I've observed it is effectively the full wage paid workers. How many average Thais make more than this? Companies are also pushing the daily working hours to 9+ for this wage. There is no overtime for the 6th day worked which is a disgrace.

 

I've long wondered how Thai's survive on this low low wage. I guess they don't shop in any retail stores. Hell a meal costs a/b one hour of work. I wonder if this isn't some nefarious plan to have girls work on their backs? 

1 hour ago, kannot said:

ive been paying my staff 800 a day..................made no differe nce at all , still crap in 90% of those employed

Is there... I suspect... a different mind set and work ethic in Thailand compared to other countries?  I've been confused by reactions when I offered work...told unemployed to tell me how much they wanted for said job.... only to be told "no thanks." They claimed the reason were: too hot/too heavy/too difficult/ too high/ to this to that... For people who are undoubtedly in poverty I can not understand turning down work; especially when I offered much more baht than the prevailing wage.

I used to be grimly amused by the comments made by Thai males drinking Lao Kao at a mom'n'pop store outside a hardware distribution centre near where I lived.

 

They watched the Burmese workers going in-I could tell that they were Burmese because they spoke English-took another dram and proudly proclaimed..."who wants to work for 300 baht a day?"

Edited May 2, 20188 yr by Odysseus123