Workers' call for Bt360 daily minimum wage

By The Nation

 

File photo

 

As labourers called for the daily minimum wage of Bt360 nationwide, Ministry of Labour permanent secretary Jarin Chakkaphark on Thursday said that the Central Wage Committee will set the new rate before March 30, to become effective from April 1.

 

All the provincial wage committees have already submitted their recommendations to the Central Wage Committee's sub-panel to check facts and determine the most appropriate increment. This should be complete by the end of February, said Jarin in his capacity as the committee chairman.

 

No conclusion has been reached so far, he said, because they were checking various factors, such as the current wage, the cost of living index, the average inflation, the average living cost, the production cost of goods and services, the capacity on business, and the Gross Domestic Product (GDP). 

 

The call for a flat-rate Bt360 daily minimum wage was within the workers' right but authorities would carefully consider the actual wage hike based on facts and ensure fairness to both the employers and the workers, Jarin said. 

 

"The daily minimum wage is different from one province to another because of differences in cost of living and some 4-5 factors. We are still in the process of considering the appropriate rates and the Central Wage Committee would conclude the new wages in March," he said.

 

Last year, the daily minimum wage increased in the range of Bt5-Bt22 among seven provincial clusters with Phuket, Chon Buri and Rayong having the highest rate wage at Bt330 a day. 

 

At of present time, Thailand has seven daily minimum wage rates - Bt308 (in three southernmost border provinces of Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat), Bt310 (in 22 provinces), Bt315 (in 21 provinces), Bt318 (in seven provinces), Bt320 (in 14 provinces including Khon Kaen and Ubol Ratchathani), Bt325 (in seven provinces including Bangkok and Samut Prakan) and Bt330. The average minimum wage is Bt315.97.

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/breakingnews/30364109

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-14

Workers can call in a strike if the wages are not increased. No need to set minimum wage.

15 minutes ago, shady86 said:

Workers can call in a strike if the wages are not increased. No need to set minimum wage.

Where's Red Robbo when you need him? ????????????

1 hour ago, shady86 said:

Workers can call in a strike if the wages are not increased. No need to set minimum wage.

Umh, I think that might "cross a line" as the current phrase is...

1 hour ago, overherebc said:

Where's Red Robbo when you need him? ????????????

He's now organizing the angels into a heavenly union.

I pay 500 every day to a senior man to build fences, fish ponds sheds and so on. He is teaching his son, a former

black sheep of the family who does the welding and hard work. I pay him 400.

I do not supervise them. They work well and achieve good results. And they are loyal to me.

And so they should be, it is my wife uncle and cousin.

I try to help out. But they are the constant workers and I am a short burst soon dehydrated impediment.

I support the higher pay.

Thailand is booming at the moment with record GDP.

It is time some of the goodies went to subsistence workers.

16 minutes ago, ratcatcher said:

He's now organizing the angels into a heavenly union.

Heard once that walking though the local park with a mate his mate said 'I see the daffodils are out' he replied 'is it official?'

2 hours ago, overherebc said:

Where's Red Robbo when you need him? ????????????

 

        HE alone , shut  down  the  british car industry .

Enemy of the State . Rust in peace .

 

3 minutes ago, elliss said:

 

        HE alone , shut  down  the  british car industry .

Enemy of the State . Rust in peace .

 

Almost on his own yes. Management attitude at the time, unintentionally on their part' gave him all the ammunition he needed.

Unfortunately he also had no idea how to take the industry forward.

Saw no further than his own bank balance.

360 baht is a step forward, but not enough. 

2 hours ago, shady86 said:

Workers can call in a strike if the wages are not increased. No need to set minimum wage.

Not quite that simple, there's also the case where the workers, especially those with limited opportunities, are afraid to strike... so the boss takes advantage of them...

 

Not the values that I was taught.

9 minutes ago, scorecard said:

Not quite that simple, there's also the case where the workers, especially those with limited opportunities, are afraid to strike... so the boss takes advantage of them...

 

Not the values that I was taught.

 

       Laos workers , no minimum wage reqd.

Welcome to capitalism , in a third world country .

 

 

Edited February 14, 20197 yr by elliss

It should IMHO be more than 360 a WORKING day, like for Burmese of both sexes, and idem from Cambodia and Laos! ..And also for employed Thais, those who would be WORKING, of course, what rather seems to be a minority alas. As my Thai wife says: 'all Thais want to have a job, but few want to work for the money'...

Edited February 14, 20197 yr by bangrak

Yes I would like 360 bts a day, I am not interested in increasing my productivity. I don't work if it rains and I work slower if its hot, I also wont be there is there is a death in the family or I had a night with Leo and chums, now where is the money?

2 hours ago, bangrak said:

As my Thai wife says: 'all Thais want to have a job, but few want to work for the money'.

And that's a part of the problem right there. I strongly believe that the good, loyal, diligent employees should earn a lot more, but the rest, the lazy sods, shouldn't earn a fraction of what they're currently on. 

7 minutes ago, djayz said:

And that's a part of the problem right there. I strongly believe that the good, loyal, diligent employees should earn a lot more, but the rest, the lazy sods, shouldn't earn a fraction of what they're currently on. 

Pseudo democracies breed lazy sods.

10 hours ago, elliss said:

 

       Laos workers , no minimum wage reqd.

Welcome to capitalism , in a third world country .

 

 

Oh Yes, Laos has official minimum wages, both daily and monthly. They have increased several 100's of percent during the last 10 years.

8 hours ago, djayz said:

And that's a part of the problem right there. I strongly believe that the good, loyal, diligent employees should earn a lot more, but the rest, the lazy sods, shouldn't earn a fraction of what they're currently on. 

Fact is good employees ok most cases do earn more , it is the lazy useless ones who want wage rises. 

 

Here is is a funny thing, with every wage rise, it’s hatderr and harder to get staff and staff works less and less.

I want my own personal house cleaning slave, 360 baht per days sounds good to me.

13 hours ago, overherebc said:

Where's Red Robbo when you need him? ????????????

Outside the Leyland plant in the mid 70's......Red Robbo addresses the men..............

"Comrades, we have negotiated a deal with management, 

1 : Sick pay shall be 100% of salary for the first year, 50 % per year thereafter.

2 : All public holidays will be paid at triple time.

3 : The working week is to be cut to just Friday's.

Just then a hand at the back is raised, and a voice shouts out......." What? .....Every bloody Friday "............

11 hours ago, elliss said:

 

        HE alone , shut  down  the  british car industry .

Enemy of the State . Rust in peace .

 

Had a 'mate' who worked at Leyland at the Oxford plant - highly skilled job putting in fascias. ????

I remember him working 'a three day week' which later went down to ' one day week' all on full pay.

 

Yup, Red Robbo......!

 

However, Scargill was right, & Thatcher ruined the coal industry.

 

Even though Trade Union's have done considerable damage in the past, the do a lot of good.

 

Be great to see a Union here. But I doubt it'll ever happen.

 

Really 360 baht a day, is dreadful, but it does keep the 'hoi polloi' in there place. (sarcasm)

 

Tried 3 times to put a Sarcastic emoji, but they just don't load.

in my opinion, when you pay a Thai significantly under what they would make in your home country, you are exploiting humans for your financial gain.  maybe psychological gain as well, like a god ruling over them for such little money.  we just assume 500 baht will make their life as good as ours, and everything will be just great for them because 300 is the norm.  but if someone is building a house for you and really, really struggles with the work......for god's sake man, give the man his proper due.  i'm really talking about physical labor and......well, maybe at the end of the project give him a bonus if you appreciate the work.  we can do sooo much to help others, but we never do.  we exploit.  sometimes it's fine, since the job is not difficult..... and if everyone you hire is lazy, that still doesn't mean you can exploit them more.  to me, that means find another country where you appreciate the people.  

7 minutes ago, AhFarangJa said:

Outside the Leyland plant in the mid 70's......Red Robbo addresses the men..............

"Comrades, we have negotiated a deal with management, 

1 : Sick pay shall be 100% of salary for the first year, 50 % per year thereafter.

2 : All public holidays will be paid at triple time.

3 : The working week is to be cut to just Friday's.

Just then a hand at the back is raised, and a voice shouts out......." What? .....Every bloody Friday "............

Thoughts.

Did he and his followers actually set out to destroy the industry?

Did they believe it would just keep giving in to their demands almost without end?

Did the management/government know the industry was doomed anyway? and didn't care.

Did the Unions know it was doomed so decided to get as much as they could before it all went south?

The Chinese overlords will not be happy

9 minutes ago, puukao said:

in my opinion, when you pay a Thai significantly under what they would make in your home country, you are exploiting humans for your financial gain.  maybe psychological gain as well, like a god ruling over them for such little money.  we just assume 500 baht will make their life as good as ours, and everything will be just great for them because 300 is the norm.  but if someone is building a house for you and really, really struggles with the work......for god's sake man, give the man his proper due.  i'm really talking about physical labor and......well, maybe at the end of the project give him a bonus if you appreciate the work.  we can do sooo much to help others, but we never do.  we exploit.  sometimes it's fine, since the job is not difficult..... and if everyone you hire is lazy, that still doesn't mean you can exploit them more.  to me, that means find another country where you appreciate the people.  

And let's all sit round the campfire singing kumbaya. 

4 minutes ago, overherebc said:

Thoughts.

Did he and his followers actually set out to destroy the industry?

Did they believe it would just keep giving in to their demands almost without end?

Did the management/government know the industry was doomed anyway? and didn't care.

Did the Unions know it was doomed so decided to get as much as they could before it all went south?

Makes for an interesting debate for another thread. Good thought provoking theories. I know he was a registered member of the then Communist party. But also read that he did in fact spend a lot of time preventing wildcat strikes. He also ran as an M.P. for several years so had definite political aspirations, but was undermined later by Trotskyst members.

There plenty of Chinese Thai businesses outside BKK (and probably inside) that are not even paying 300THB yet

 

So dont hold you breath

12 hours ago, overherebc said:

Almost on his own yes. Management attitude at the time, unintentionally on their part' gave him all the ammunition he needed.

Unfortunately he also had no idea how to take the industry forward.

Saw no further than his own bank balance.

Such an industry strike in Thailand would be illegal and unconstitutional.

The Thai government could legally disrupt such a strike - in theory.

I say the latter because PM Prayut chose not to break strikes by fishery boat owners over proposed Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing laws and rubber plantation owners over low industry prices nor charge the participants. Note protests by owners vs workers.

 

2 minutes ago, Srikcir said:

Such an industry strike in Thailand would be illegal and unconstitutional.

The Thai government could legally disrupt such a strike - in theory.

I say the latter because PM Prayut chose not to break strikes by fishery boat owners over proposed Illegal, Unreported and Unregulated (IUU) Fishing laws and rubber plantation owners over low industry prices nor charge the participants. Note protests by owners vs workers.

 

Well, yes.

1 hour ago, laochef said:

Oh Yes, Laos has official minimum wages, both daily and monthly. They have increased several 100's of percent during the last 10 years.

 

I think the post was referring to the use of Laotian workers in Thailand.