Workers without papers face action

[webfact]

Workers without papers face action

national July 02, 2018 01:00

By The Nation

 

FILE PHOTO : Migrant workers go to the Labour Ministry’s onestop service centre toregister to work legally in Thailand. Saturday was the last day to register. Photo Chalinee Thirasupa

 

ABOUT 1.18 MILLION MIGRANT LABOURERS REGISTERED IN FIRST SIX MONTHS OF YEAR
 

AUTHORITIES have started a crackdown on undocumented migrant workers nationwide after the deadline for proper registration ended over the weekend, with more than a third of a million workers from neighbouring countries having obtained their required permits in the latest round of registration.

 

Labour Minister Adul Saengsingkaew said 99.73 per cent of migrant workers in the government’s database, mainly from Laos, Cambodia and Myanmar, had already reported themselves to authorities and were properly registered to work in Thailand before the June 30 deadline.

 

Altogether, a total of 347,067 workers were processed at the ministry’s one-stop service centres nationwide. As a result, labour officials and police have started to enforce the migrant labour law and crack down on those working illegally in Thailand.

 

According to Adul, 156,569 Cambodians, 18,210 Laotians and 172,288 Myanmar nationals were registered with the labour ministry’s one-stop service centres in the latest registration round. Previously, another 840,736 migrant workers were registered with Thai authorities, bringing the total number of registered migrant workers in Thailand to about 1.18 million over the first six months of this year.

 

Based on the January 16, 2018 Cabinet resolution, labour authorities were required to have these migrants properly registered to work in Thailand. The first deadline was March 30, while the second and last deadline was June 30.

 

Altogether, 350,840 Cambodians, 59,746 Laotians and 777,217 Myanmar nationals were properly registered to work in the country by the end of June.

 

From July 1 onwards, Thai authorities will step up inspections and other efforts to enforce the law. Migrant workers who are found to have violated the law will be subject to a fine of Bt5,000 to Bt50,000 per person. Violators would also be sent back to their home countries and cannot return for a two-year period.

 

Employers with undocumented migrant workers are subject to a fine of Bt10,000 to Bt100,000 per worker. 

 

Repeat offenders are punishable with a fine of Bt50,000 to Bt200,000 and a jail term of up to one year. They will also be barred from hiring migrant workers for three years.

 

Adul said Thailand now has a total of 3.2 million migrant workers, including about 1.18 million who were registered and got their permits during the January to June period.

 

Meanwhile, immigration police in the South convened a meeting over the weekend to draw up clear guidelines for the crackdown. Pol Maj-General Jessada Yaisoon, who heads the Immigration Police Region 6, said the crackdown started yesterday.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30349057

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2018-07-02

[ukrules]

How many days until the next mass exodus of migrant workers ?

 

I'll give it until the end of the week.

Edited July 1, 2018 by ukrules

[Cadbury]

20 minutes ago, webfact said:

Based on the January 16, 2018 Cabinet resolution, labour authorities were required to have these migrants properly registered to work in Thailand. The first deadline was March 30, while the second and last deadline was June 30.

The junta cabinet comprising mostly of incompetent military officers originally set an unrealistic date of March 30th. What followed was a complete stuff-up by the Labour Ministry resulting in the sacking of the minister by an embarrassed PM Prayut after a mass exodus of migrant workers. Even though it was Prayut's cabinet that set the impossible deadline the blame had to be carried by someone other than himself and cabinet which is normal practice. 

32 minutes ago, webfact said:

Adul said Thailand now has a total of 3.2 million migrant workers, including about 1.18 million who were registered and got their permits during the January to June period.

Does he mean that there are still over 2 million unregistered workers in Thailand? If it does then the extra 3 months to June 30th registration process could not be called a raging success. 

It will be interesting to follow what happens next to these 2 million unregistered workers now the deadline has passed.

[ukrules]

1 minute ago, Cadbury said:

Does he mean that there are still over 2 million unregistered workers in Thailand?

It certainly sounds that way to me. What happens next depends on enforcement.

 

If they go in heavy handed over the next few days they will all 'do a runner' and the backpedaling will begin again just like last year where they suspended the law until January.

 

I suspect mass raids have already been planned for every day this week.

[Lungstib]

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Violators would also be sent back to their home countries and cannot return for a two-year period.

Two months ago an undocumented Burmese migrant drove a m'bike into our family car causing 20,000b worth of damage. He was arrested and we were told would be sent back across the border. We paid our own bill because we were told he had nothing, which I assume was correct. But he didn't come across at a proper crossing, same as thousands of others here in Mae Ai, and there is nothing stopping him coming across again. He will be back, just like many others who are caught and returned, because he sees Thailand as a place to improve his life. You cant fine them, they have no money, you can imprison them and spend a fortune, but you cant keep them in Burma. Its a no win situation for the Thais, especially as there are always employers who ask no questions, want cheap labour and take them on. 

2 hours ago, webfact said:

Employers with undocumented migrant workers are subject to a fine of Bt10,000 to Bt100,000 per worker. 

 

Repeat offenders are punishable with a fine of Bt50,000 to Bt200,000 and a jail term of up to one year. They will also be barred from hiring migrant workers for three years.

This is the answer. But only if it actually happens and the rich and wealthy dont as usual end up slipping away. I honestly dont expect to suddenly see the courts full of plantation owners, moo-baan developers and factory owners.

Edited July 1, 2018 by Lungstib
spelling error

[kannot]

Oi Junta why not save time and slit  your own throats now as thats what your slowly doing anway.

A whole  immigrant workers  balls  up from start to finish

[kannot]

43 minutes ago, Lungstib said:

Two months ago an undocumented Burmese migrant drove a m'bike into our family car causing 20,000b worth of damage. He was arrested and we were told would be sent back across the border. We paid our own bill because we were told he had nothing, which I assume was correct. But he didn't come across at a proper crossing, same as thousands of others here in Mae Ai, and there is nothing stopping him coming across again. He will be back, just like many others who are caught and returned, because he sees Thailand as a place to improve his life. You cant fine them, they have no money, you can imprison them and spend a fortune, but you cant keep them in Burma. Its a no win situation for the Thais, especially as there are always employers who ask no questions, want cheap labour and take them on. 

This is the answer. But only if it actually happens and the rich and wealthy dont as usual end up slipping away. I honestly dont expect to suddenly see the courts full of plantation owners, moo-baan developers and factory owners.

Theres a  massive problem with this certainly for us who used to employ 2  workers.

We have to pay for all these permits for them, they arrive with nothing usually, it also take a lot of  running about, centres are miles ( 50+) apart ad then 1  month later they decide to leave.............. so we get some new workers and they do the same, can be weeks or  months but they all  go. Not  only that but when we did get one that stayed and did some pink  card for him they then introduced the "new  rules" and said  he had to re -register?????????????

We dont employ any migrant workers now and no plans to.

We have to pay Thais (when we can actually  find some) more but overall its  less  hassle  and costs after taking into account time wasted and costs for permits paperwork etc is about the same.

[Sydebolle]

The fact alone, that there are millions of unregistered illegal "alien" alone is more than proof that:

- Thailand has a terrible shortage of staff (let's forget about skilled staff)
- the procedure to get the papers is too complicated, outdated or bureaucratic
- the market does whatever it needs to do to survive, irrespective of the attempted interference of the little green men in funny clothes

[monkfish]

Give them papers without taking a percentage of their wages and probably more will register.

[pegman]

2 hours ago, Lungstib said:

Two months ago an undocumented Burmese migrant drove a m'bike into our family car causing 20,000b worth of damage. He was arrested and we were told would be sent back across the border. We paid our own bill because we were told he had nothing, which I assume was correct. But he didn't come across at a proper crossing, same as thousands of others here in Mae Ai, and there is nothing stopping him coming across again. He will be back, just like many others who are caught and returned, because he sees Thailand as a place to improve his life. You cant fine them, they have no money, you can imprison them and spend a fortune, but you cant keep them in Burma. Its a no win situation for the Thais, especially as there are always employers who ask no questions, want cheap labour and take them on. 

This is the answer. But only if it actually happens and the rich and wealthy dont as usual end up slipping away. I honestly dont expect to suddenly see the courts full of plantation owners, moo-baan developers and factory owners.

If he were not so phoney Dumb Donald the Draft Dodger would do this. A couple dozen employers fined then jailed for repeat offences would clear out most of the migrants. 

[keith89]

3 hours ago, Sydebolle said:

The fact alone, that there are millions of unregistered illegal "alien" alone is more than proof that:

- Thailand has a terrible shortage of staff (let's forget about skilled staff)
- the procedure to get the papers is too complicated, outdated or bureaucratic
- the market does whatever it needs to do to survive, irrespective of the attempted interference of the little green men in funny clothes

They havent got a shortage of staff. Thais dont want to work simple as

[KiwiKiwi]

5 hours ago, kannot said:

Oi Junta why not save time and slit  your own throats now as thats what your slowly doing anway.

A whole  immigrant workers  balls  up from start to finish

 

I'm curious why, given all of the history, anyone would be surprised when they balls it up. Presumably it doesn't pay to learn from experience in Thailand...?

[Bluespunk]

7 hours ago, ukrules said:

It certainly sounds that way to me. What happens next depends on enforcement.

 

If they go in heavy handed over the next few days they will all 'do a runner' and the backpedaling will begin again just like last year where they suspended the law until January.

 

I suspect mass raids have already been planned for every day this week.

The joke is on stand by. 

[NoshowJones]

Another one of their famous 24 hour crackdowns.

[monkfish]

10 minutes ago, Bluespunk said:

The joke is on stand by. 

Yup he should be able to arrest at least 1 Mil and become national hero...

[Vacuum]

8 hours ago, webfact said:

From July 1 onwards, Thai authorities will step up inspections and other efforts to enforce the law. Migrant workers who are found to have violated the law will be subject to a fine of Bt5,000 to Bt50,000 per person. Violators would also be sent back to their home countries and cannot return for a two-year period.

And what about their employers, a slap on the wrist?

[Sydebolle]

3 hours ago, keith89 said:

They havent got a shortage of staff. Thais dont want to work simple as

Yes, they are too lazy and there is a shortage of skilled staff; unless I've been looking and hiring the wrong lads over the last 30+ years employing people here ......