Vendors petition gov't to allow foreigners to work in shopfronts

By Asaree Thaitrakulpanich, Staff Reporter

 

Retail shop owners protest as they deliver a petition to officials Wednesday morning at the Labor Ministry. Photo: Korpong Tansuwan

 

BANGKOK — Korpong Tansuwan has a clothing store to run. But he’s also got children to run back and forth from school and supplies to keep in stock. His sole Burmese employee is left to manage things alone during these errands – which is when undercover cops like to show up and cause trouble. Trouble that can end in paying a costly bribe.

 

On Wednesday, Korpong was among 100-or-so shop owners who converged on the Labor Ministry to demand the law be changed because they can’t keep their stores open without illegally hiring foreign workers.

 

Full Story: http://www.khaosodenglish.com/news/business/2018/06/20/1464822214/

 

-- © Copyright Khaosod English 2018-6-20

11 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

when undercover cops like to show up and cause trouble. Trouble that can end in paying a costly bribe.

In many countries that would be headline...

Hire a Thai - problem solved.

 

Oh, that will cost b10k a month not 5k - oh the injustice!

22 minutes ago, ozmeldo said:

Hire a Thai - problem solved.

 

Oh, that will cost b10k a month not 5k - oh the injustice!

Oh, you overlooked one problem, Thai don't want to work for 10K.... 

Oh, are you familiar with hiring Thai

Oh, i guess not....

11 hours ago, ikke said:

Oh, you overlooked one problem, Thai don't want to work for 10K.... 

Oh, are you familiar with hiring Thai

Oh, i guess not....

Go into any 7/11 and ask any employee how much they make. Starting pay in my area is 400 baht/day. With one day off per week (which is the norm), that comes to just a little under 10K per month, ...and they're all Thais.

My home country hundreds of thai restaurants all with thai owners and thai staff why would my country even allow this?

16 minutes ago, DrDave said:

Go into any 7/11 and ask any employee how much they make. Starting pay in my area is 400 baht/day. With one day off per week (which is the norm), that comes to just a little under 10K per month, ...and they're all Thais.

People like to work for CP, airconditioned shop, no push on sales etc. so yes thats a job they all want to do.

I have 150 Employees , i need more, I pay exactly as CP, but very difficult to find new staff, reason our Thai management gives : People to lazy, they don't want to work..... 

Many Department shops are hopelessly over-manned.  Check out the crowds of assistants that follow you around in Thaiwatsadu/Homepro.  Sack 70% & there would be no diminution of service or sales; the management could then afford to reduce prices.  Those employees might then be glad to take any work they can get.

55 minutes ago, ikke said:

People like to work for CP, airconditioned shop, no push on sales etc. so yes thats a job they all want to do.

I have 150 Employees , i need more, I pay exactly as CP, but very difficult to find new staff, reason our Thai management gives : People to lazy, they don't want to work..... 

Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. That's the root of the problem here. A lot (most?) of them simply don't want to work. Period. 

Go to any business and just look around at the staff... most are either playing on their phones, looking at themselves in mirrors or dozing. 

FIL will only hire Burmese or Cambodians because the locals (and to a lesser extent the Laotians) are useless, lazy, disinterested, unreliable sods. Yes, I know there are exceptions. Some are good, hardworking people, but most aren't. 

 

I strongly believe that a business should be allowed to employ staff they feel are the right people for the job.  

52 minutes ago, mikebell said:

Many Department shops are hopelessly over-manned.  Check out the crowds of assistants that follow you around in Thaiwatsadu/Homepro.  Sack 70% & there would be no diminution of service or sales; the management could then afford to reduce prices.  Those employees might then be glad to take any work they can get.

Agree with you on sacking 70% but think the savings should be paid to the remaining staff in the form of higher salaries and bonuses based on performance, skills, loyalty and on training, etc.

1 hour ago, djayz said:

Bingo! You hit the nail on the head. That's the root of the problem here. A lot (most?) of them simply don't want to work. Period. 

Go to any business and just look around at the staff... most are either playing on their phones, looking at themselves in mirrors or dozing. 

FIL will only hire Burmese or Cambodians because the locals (and to a lesser extent the Laotians) are useless, lazy, disinterested, unreliable sods. Yes, I know there are exceptions. Some are good, hardworking people, but most aren't. 

 

I strongly believe that a business should be allowed to employ staff they feel are the right people for the job.  

Just out of curiosity does your FIL pay the Burmese and Cambodian workers the going Thai rate or less?? If he pays them the Thai rate then I applaud him as many don’t. Friends daughter works in a well known coffe chain, 9k a month works 6 days a week but does get a share of tips. She did tell me in some places her friends work the boss keeps the tips. 

1 hour ago, Tongjaw said:

Just out of curiosity does your FIL pay the Burmese and Cambodian workers the going Thai rate or less?? If he pays them the Thai rate then I applaud him as many don’t. Friends daughter works in a well known coffe chain, 9k a month works 6 days a week but does get a share of tips. She did tell me in some places her friends work the boss keeps the tips. 

I pay my Thai far over the official rate, and if I would have Burmese or Cambodian and they work harder i would pay them even more. The story of your friends daughter is unfortunately very common in T. 

We hire Myanmar and Thai workers, Myanmar workers get the same salary as Thai's, but work harder and come to work EVERY day. Nothing to do with wanting to pay peanuts, its all about wanting reliable workers.

2 hours ago, Tongjaw said:

Just out of curiosity does your FIL pay the Burmese and Cambodian workers the going Thai rate or less?? If he pays them the Thai rate then I applaud him as many don’t. Friends daughter works in a well known coffe chain, 9k a month works 6 days a week but does get a share of tips. She did tell me in some places her friends work the boss keeps the tips. 

He pays the same (plus he provided basic accommadation), but up in rural Isan the average daily rate in the villages varies between ฿ 200/220 to 250 a day depending on the work involved. I have't heard of anybody here paying the official 300/day rate here. Although I belive that the average employee here in LOS isn't worth 300/day, I do honestly think that the people out working in the fields deserve more as that is hard, back-breaking, dirty work. 

17 hours ago, ozmeldo said:

Hire a Thai - problem solved.

 

Oh, that will cost b10k a month not 5k - oh the injustice!

 

Nice to see that you know nothing if you believe that burmese work for 5k and Thai for 10k...