Exporters up in arms against plan to hike daily minimum wage

By The Nation

 

 

EXPORT companies in more than 40 provinces are voicing loud opposition to plans of raising the minimum daily wage.

 

Meanwhile, the Thai National Shippers’ Council and Thai Food Processors’ Association have warned that increasing the minimum daily wage will scare away foreign investors and will mostly benefit migrant workers. 

 

 

“Thai workers will barely benefit from the wage increase, because most Thais are skilled enough and earn more than the minimum wage,” Thai Chamber of Commerce’s vice president Sanan Ang-ubolkul said yesterday. 

 

He was speaking in response to reports that relevant authorities are planning to propose a hike of between Bt2 and Bt10 to the daily minimum wage. 

 

“Exporters in more than 40 provinces are already suffering from a stronger baht, and hope the minimum daily wage will remain the same,” Sanan said. 

 

There are currently seven daily minimum wage rates – Bt308 in Yala, Pattani and Narathiwat; Bt310 in 22 provinces; Bt315 in 21; Bt318 in seven; Bt320 in 14 provinces including Khon Kaen and Ubon Ratchathani; Bt325 in seven provinces including Bangkok and Samut Prakan; and Bt330 elsewhere. The average daily minimum wage works out to Bt315.9.

 

Sanan said the Thai Chamber of Commerce was gathering information to present to relevant parties for consideration. 

 

Last week, labour unions urged the Central Wage Committee to set the daily minimum wage at Bt360 from April 1 onwards. However, the Labour Ministry has insisted that all pleas from relevant parties be considered before the Central Wage Committee can make its final decision next month. 

 

Meanwhile, Visit Limlurcha, vice president of the Thai National Shippers’ Council and president of the Thai Food Processors’ Association, said Thailand should focus more on skill development instead of increasing the minimum daily wage. 

 

“For instance, masons earn nearly Bt1,000 a day – far more than what a man who carries bags of cement gets. That’s one way of increasing workers’ wages,” he said. 

 

Sanan also suggested that relevant state agencies should discuss plans to boost daily wages with the private sector at least one year ahead of implementation, because it affects their cost of operations. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/detail/national/30364751

 

 -- © Copyright The Nation 2019-02-26

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

Meanwhile, the Thai National Shippers’ Council and Thai Food Processors’ Association have warned that increasing the minimum daily wage will scare away foreign investors and will mostly benefit migrant workers. 

 

What a load of racist claptrap. The foreign workers take on the jobs "below" Thai workers.

 

56 minutes ago, webfact said:

“Thai workers will barely benefit from the wage increase, because most Thais are skilled enough and earn more than the minimum wage,” Thai Chamber of Commerce’s vice president Sanan Ang-ubolkul said yesterday. 

 

Thai workers better skilled?? Not sure this is a true refection of reality. 

1 hour ago, webfact said:

most Thais are skilled

????????

36 minutes ago, Chang_paarp said:

Thai workers better skilled?? Not sure this is a true refection of reality.

1 western worker =5 thai workers...........any Thai shopping mall/ diy outlet confirms  this

1 hour ago, webfact said:

“Thai workers will barely benefit from the wage increase, because most Thais are skilled enough and earn more than the minimum wage,” Thai Chamber of Commerce’s vice president Sanan Ang-ubolkul said yesterday.

Translation:

We employ lots of undocumented Burmese and Cambodian laborers, and if we pay them more we will lose face as they are lower than Thai people.

Sickening reality of the world we live in.

Most Thais are skilled enough to earn more than minimum wage. Really? No so think so.

Anything to get out of social responsibilities, Morons the lot of them.

 

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Exporters up in arms against plan to hike daily minimum wage

Not surprising…as slave labor is a very essential component of the Thai economy. Can’t continue being the world hub of financial inequality if you overpay the serfs.

 

Perhaps if the minimum wage was high enough some of the big department stores would get rid of the useless clerks in the big department stores - they know nothing, they do nothing except take up space.  One properly trained clerk could do the work of 6 untrained 'bodies'!

11 minutes ago, Prairieboy said:

Perhaps if the minimum wage was high enough some of the big department stores would get rid of the useless clerks in the big department stores - they know nothing, they do nothing except take up space.  One properly trained clerk could do the work of 6 untrained 'bodies'!

Problem is there is no one to train them....who actually knows their job here in Thailand?

Of course they are skilled enough coming to work, playing with their smartphones the whole day and overseeing the migrant workers doing all the dirty work.

Perhaps if the minimum wage was high enough some of the big department stores would get rid of the useless clerks in the big department stores - they know nothing, they do nothing except take up space.  One properly trained clerk could do the work of 6 untrained 'bodies'!

You wouldnt want to waste a few months training someone who might leave your company after one year. Trying looking at resumes of the locals here, most of them have worked in more than 5 companies before 30!

Quote

“Thai workers will barely benefit from the wage increase, because most Thais are skilled enough and earn more than the minimum wage,” Thai Chamber of Commerce’s vice president Sanan Ang-ubolkul said yesterday.

What have you been smoking?

Have said it before and will say it again. . Those who really work and are good earn way above the current minimum wage or the newly proposed one. 

 

Those who are useless and lazy are not worth the minimum wage they are on now.

 

 

5 hours ago, webfact said:

and will mostly benefit migrant workers. 

Charming.

Racist bigots.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

“Thai workers will barely benefit from the wage increase, because most Thais are skilled enough and earn more than the minimum wage,”

Tell that to the Thai waitresses, mechanics & shop workers i know.

5 hours ago, webfact said:

are planning to propose a hike of between Bt2 and Bt10 to the daily minimum wage. 

2 Baht?

Are they serious?

10 Baht?

Well that's a free M150 after lunch i suppose...

Cretins.

The lot of them.

Have not got a clue about real life.

2 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Charming.

Racist bigots.

Tell that to the Thai waitresses, mechanics & shop workers i know.

2 Baht?

Are they serious?

10 Baht?

Well that's a free M150 after lunch i suppose...

Cretins.

The lot of them.

Have not got a clue about real life.

Not too sure what mechanics you know , but ones I know are on 27000 per month , ie triple the minimum wage and shop attendants on 400-500 per day.

 

the zombie looking once in the supermarkets who are busy playing on the phone or say “not have “ to any question you ask are most certainly not worth the minimum wage they get now. ????

10 minutes ago, BestB said:

Not too sure what mechanics you know , but ones I know are on 27000 per month , ie triple the minimum wage and shop attendants on 400-500 per day.

 

the zombie looking once in the supermarkets who are busy playing on the phone or say “not have “ to any question you ask are most certainly not worth the minimum wage they get now. ????

Yes i do know skilled machinists (crank grinders) who are on 40,000 pcm plus bonus.

I know skilled tig welders on 1000 baht per day plus bonus.

I also know good skilled young m/c mechanics working in a corner mom'n'pop m/c shop on 350 baht per day.

I also know hard working waitresses on 350 baht per day, 6 days a week, 10-12 hour shift, free meals.

 

I do not know any zombie shop attendants personally.

Nor what wage they would be on.

10 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

Yes i do know skilled machinists (crank grinders) who are on 40,000 pcm plus bonus.

I know skilled tig welders on 1000 baht per day plus bonus.

I also know good skilled young m/c mechanics working in a corner mom'n'pop m/c shop on 350 baht per day.

I also know hard working waitresses on 350 baht per day, 6 days a week, 10-12 hour shift, free meals.

 

I do not know any zombie shop attendants personally.

Nor what wage they would be on.

So we agree skilled and experienced and useful employees get way above minimum wage while young, inexperienced and lazy ones do not.

 

waitresses get tips so they are far from being on minimum wage. And again those who actually contribute to the business get paid higher wage.

 

right now I have a cleaner who gets paid minimum wage and she is not worth even half of it.

 

in her 9 hour day, she eats for 2 hours, spends 3 hours straight in the morning playing on the phone and another at least 1 hour while pretending to do some work. 

 

When i or manager point out she she did not do her job and it’s dirty, she blames the manager for either not checking after her or for making her start work when she came to work instead of 3 hours later after she finished playing on the phone .

 

her retard of a boyfriend in UK though thinks she works very hard and should be paid higher wage. 

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Have said it before and will say it again. . Those who really work and are good earn way above the current minimum wage or the newly proposed one. 

 

Those who are useless and lazy are not worth the minimum wage they are on now.

 

 

 

Well, up north I have had a team of builders working for me, all great workers, the one in charge supplied all the tools and the truck and charged 450 baht per day, the others who were all skilled but without tools and transport, he paid 400 baht.  Hardly way above minimum wage, but it all depends on where you are, in some parts of the country they would struggle to pay rent and eat on that wage while in other parts they can save, it really is not as simple as what you have said before and will say again so do stop repeating that tired blinkered outlook.

Up in arms over a potential 2 baht per day increase, it works out to just 150 USD over their entire working lives, utterly disgusting to pretend that such a tiny increase is going to effect the export market.

11 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Well, up north I have had a team of builders working for me, all great workers, the one in charge supplied all the tools and the truck and charged 450 baht per day, the others who were all skilled but without tools and transport, he paid 400 baht.  Hardly way above minimum wage, but it all depends on where you are, in some parts of the country they would struggle to pay rent and eat on that wage while in other parts they can save, it really is not as simple as what you have said before and will say again so do stop repeating that tired blinkered outlook.

Minimum wage up north is 300 baht, 400 per day is 30% above the minimum wage and they have no tools , so yeah it would be way above the minimum wage

53 minutes ago, BestB said:

So we agree skilled and experienced and useful employees get way above minimum wage while young, inexperienced and lazy ones do not. 

No.

Because i did not mention inexperienced or lazy ones.

I quoted hard working and skilled workers STILL ON minimum wage.

53 minutes ago, BestB said:

waitresses get tips so they are far from being on minimum wage.

Complete & utter rubbish.

99% of normal Thai punters do NOT tip in restaurants.

You may tip, as do many expats, but the average Thai does not.

Hence the waitresses are still on minimum wage.

For a 10-12 hour day.

 

Edit;

do you know her UK boyfriend personally for this information or are you always this charming?

 

 

 

 

17 minutes ago, BestB said:

Minimum wage up north is 300 baht, 400 per day is 30% above the minimum wage and they have no tools , so yeah it would be way above the minimum wage

 

The province in question pays 320 baht.  The minimum wage is $10 and they got $12, but of course $12 is "way more" than $10, what on earth was I thinking?

1 hour ago, BestB said:

Not too sure what mechanics you know , but ones I know are on 27000 per month , ie triple the minimum wage and shop attendants on 400-500 per day.

 

the zombie looking once in the supermarkets who are busy playing on the phone or say “not have “ to any question you ask are most certainly not worth the minimum wage they get now. ????

 

Wow, a dentist starts on only 3000 more than your mechanic, what a world, OH hang on, average mechanic earnings are just 6,500 and average sales clerk is just 6,118.  Could it just be that you live in a tourist bubble and have no idea about the real wages of the rest Thailand?

The strong Thai baht is doing more to damage exports than any proposed increase of minimum wage.

 

But hey ho it's great when you want to tool up your armed forces with a lot of unnecessary weapons and send your siblings for an expensive overseas education so basically it's just a question of which is more important.

Could pay them in pounds to upset them even more at least we could be upset together ????

28 minutes ago, thaiguzzi said:

No.

Because i did not mention inexperienced or lazy ones.

I quoted hard working and skilled workers STILL ON minimum wage.

Complete & utter rubbish.

99% of normal Thai punters do NOT tip in restaurants.

You may tip, as do many expats, but the average Thai does not.

Hence the waitresses are still on minimum wage.

For a 10-12 hour day.

 

Edit;

do you know her UK boyfriend personally for this information or are you always this charming?

 

 

 

 

Once you come out from your village in the middle of nowhere then you will know or understand a little more .

 

better yet once you actually work instead of “knowing” locals then you will have even better understanding 

 

yes I know her boyfriend personally and thank you but I am not into old man

25 minutes ago, Kieran00001 said:

 

Wow, a dentist starts on only 3000 more than your mechanic, what a world, OH hang on, average mechanic earnings are just 6,500 and average sales clerk is just 6,118.  Could it just be that you live in a tourist bubble and have no idea about the real wages of the rest Thailand?

Only a useless dentist will start on 30, dental assistant starts on 20, within 1 year earn 30.

 

mechanic earn 6500? How many decades ago did you visit Thailand ?

 

real wages in Thailand ? Do you mean in the bushes of isaan? Let me guess isaan is also real Thailand ?

26 minutes ago, BestB said:

Once you come out from your village in the middle of nowhere then you will know or understand a little more .

I know a "little" more.

How do you know where i live exactly?

Or just guessing as usual.

I know a former Viet (now Thai national) proprietor personally on excellent terms, of a machine shop in down town Udon Thani. In excess of 40 employees. His minimum wage is 350 for a dogsbody. His crank grinder as i stated earlier is on 40k per month.

I know a Lao proprietor of a machine shop and engine recon shop in Savannakhet in Laos where skilled machine tool operators are on 1000 baht per day. And the dogsbody is on....

So yeah, i get about.

And i can communicate technically in the local lingo.

32 minutes ago, BestB said:

better yet once you actually work instead of “knowing” locals then you will have even better understanding 

Again, you know nothing about me.

Condescending LITTLE f####r ain't ya.

30 minutes ago, BestB said:

mechanic earn 6500? How many decades ago did you visit Thailand

Basic mechanic in an independent garage yes.

Now, in 2019.

2 hours ago, BestB said:

Not too sure what mechanics you know , but ones I know are on 27000 per month

Name the shop in which province.

And what his/her qualifications are.

32 minutes ago, BestB said:

real wages in Thailand ? Do you mean in the bushes of isaan? Let me guess isaan is also real Thailand ? 

Showing your true spiteful snob colours there Mr BB.

Here is a little snippet of info, you may not believe nor wish to know;

but yeah, Isaan is the real Thailand and a helluva lot more real & genuine than any tourist ghetto, -

where waitresses can live on their tips so minimum wage is just fine and hunky dory...