Opinion: Migrant workers are not just a dispensable economic cog but living, breathing humans

By Juwee Vorawandthanachai

 

 

In both private and public spheres, the blame has often been placed on the migrant workers trying to survive, without the considering the system that ignores the humanity of these vulnerable communities.

 

According to the United Nations International Organization of Migration (IOM), there are approximately 4-5 million migrant workers in Thailand. These workers mostly take up lower-income jobs in various industries like fisheries, construction, and domestic work and are integral to the Thai economy as they keep these industries afloat. In turn, their remittances back home substantially contribute to their family’s income.

 

Although Thailand relies on the labor of these migrant workers to keep our country running, it constantly ignores their existence while also denying them rights to labor protection, safety, and health.

 

Full Story: https://www.thaienquirer.com/21873/opinion-migrant-workers-are-not-just-a-dispensable-economic-cog-but-living-breathing-humans/

 

-- © Copyright Thai Inquirer 2020-12-23

 

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The system creates this dehumanization.   Like in America, people come in illegally, work for nothing, abused, raped, killed, and it's because the system won't allow them to come in any other way.  The system calls them "illegals" for a reason, to make them less of a human.  You want to change things?  Bring them in legally, pay them properly, and get them all the necessary paperwork. Why not?  money is made and they have leverage over these workers if they step out of line.  Power and money....that's not going away soon.  

12 minutes ago, snoop1130 said:

without the considering the system that ignores the humanity of these vulnerable communities

thai PM BLAMES them !!!

1 hour ago, Ventenio said:

Bring them in legally, pay them properly, and get them all the necessary paperwork. Why not?

That means you will not make as much profit, that way you would be just as well use Thai labor who 1) do not want to do that type of jobs, and 2) are not as diligent workers.

53 minutes ago, Ventenio said:

The system creates this dehumanization.   Like in America, people come in illegally, work for nothing, abused, raped, killed, and it's because the system won't allow them to come in any other way.  The system calls them "illegals" for a reason, to make them less of a human.  You want to change things?  Bring them in legally, pay them properly, and get them all the necessary paperwork. Why not?  money is made and they have leverage over these workers if they step out of line.  Power and money....that's not going away soon.  

What you suggest is of course correct in a sense. Unfortunately the main flaw in the concept is that if that were to become an enforced situation then it would  negate the demand  for migrant workers to  large degree.

If all migrant workers  were legalized, paid properly, provided all the  legal and social rights afforded  by being  legal and  legitimate thus protected from abuses then the advantage of employing them would become marginal in preference to genuine citizens. The core issue is that migrant workers are cheap and abused generally  for the purpose of maximum profit with minimal responsibility or liability sanctioned by indifference to the fact. The leverage exists already.

 

1 hour ago, snoop1130 said:

4-5 million migrant workers in Thailand. These workers mostly take up lower-income jobs in various industries like fisheries, construction, and domestic work

You forgot scapegoats. 

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Opinion: Migrant workers are not just a dispensable economic cog but living, breathing humans

Dispensable cog ? Unless Thai workers stoop as low as to do the migrants low paid jobs, they are pretty much the important cog keeping Thailand's cuckoo clock going. 

9 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

but living, breathing humans

Yeah, living, breathing humans, and uncontrolled disease carrying humans that Thailand dose not need right now...

Everyone in Thailand is dispensable unless you are at the top of the tree.

14 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Although Thailand relies on the labor of these migrant workers to keep our country running, it constantly ignores their existence while also denying them rights to labor protection, safety, and health.

So do something.

14 hours ago, Ventenio said:

The system creates this dehumanization.   Like in America, people come in illegally, work for nothing, abused, raped, killed, and it's because the system won't allow them to come in any other way.  The system calls them "illegals" for a reason, to make them less of a human.  You want to change things?  Bring them in legally, pay them properly, and get them all the necessary paperwork. Why not?  money is made and they have leverage over these workers if they step out of line.  Power and money....that's not going away soon.  

What i dont get is why are migrants coming to work in Thailand, with Thai people starving surely Thais must be able to do anything, any job to make ends meet

16 hours ago, Ventenio said:

The system creates this dehumanization.   Like in America, people come in illegally, work for nothing, abused, raped, killed, and it's because the system won't allow them to come in any other way.  The system calls them "illegals" for a reason, to make them less of a human.  You want to change things?  Bring them in legally, pay them properly, and get them all the necessary paperwork. Why not?  money is made and they have leverage over these workers if they step out of line.  Power and money....that's not going away soon.  

All the Thai's complaining about the migrant workforce get of your <deleted> and do the job then there will be no migrant workforce, there are 6 around me, whisky and cards all day whilst there wives are out earning, 2 of these wives work on a building site and then  home and start looking after there lazy families.

They (mostly Burmese) willingly -and knowingly- break this country's immigration and sanitation laws, and expose others to the deadly viruses they carry. This disrupts the economy  and so negates their 'cog' effect. It ruins Thailand's reputation, their host nation, which has been admirable when it comes to Pandemic control ! We were nearly out of the worst, and now it starts again.

4 hours ago, hotchilli said:

So do something.

The author is a journalist, I think he just did something.

18 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

Migrant workers are not just a dispensable economic cog but living, breathing humans

The people/the system Made the migrant workers that way ,they know that the Poor migrants will work for SFA and the people who employ them abuse that.The Government should let them work Legally on a Minimum wage the same as the minimum wage for Thais . Down here there are not many Thais working as Labourers in the building industry they don't like working ,the ones that are there are mostly Foreman and Bludgers.

The fact someone even had to write that says everything you need to know about how Thais treat migrant workers. 
 

 

3 hours ago, meinphuket said:

They (mostly Burmese) willingly -and knowingly- break this country's immigration and sanitation laws, and expose others to the deadly viruses they carry. This disrupts the economy  and so negates their 'cog' effect. It ruins Thailand's reputation, their host nation, which has been admirable when it comes to Pandemic control ! We were nearly out of the worst, and now it starts again.

You seem like just the kind of person who will benefit from an investment I can share with you. But you have to invest quickly before other people know my secret. 

5 hours ago, Darksidedude said:

What i dont get is why are migrants coming to work in Thailand, with Thai people starving surely Thais must be able to do anything, any job to make ends meet

There is no Thai people starving in Thailand

 

you are right a lot of Thai people are actually unemployed

but they are not ready to take jobs paid at 50% of the minimal legal wage

particularly when the work is a hard one in construction, markets, fisheries...

 

One of the solution will be to hit very hard financially the employers of the migrants

making for them less interesting to employ illegal migrants\ legal workers or Thai people

 

The problem is the 1% in Thailand owning 66% of the country are not ready to have less money

and unfortunately they are in charge of the country, so 0 chance to see something to change soon

It's simple to solve. Give migrants the same labor rights and salaries as Thai. 

Set up a proper labor inspection (not another corrupt organization - punish those who are corrupt hard, very hard).

Set rules about housing, illegal employment etc... 

If there is a will it can be done. 

Ps: dont listen to employers complaining it's to expensive bla bla... it's some of these employers in the first place who do not respect other human beings

 

One of the biggest problems is abused or misused migrants have nowhere to go. The Police will not protect them.

this thread is basically a copy and paste of a comment i made on here the other day.

Edited December 24, 20205 yr by mr mr

20 hours ago, ezzra said:

Yeah, living, breathing humans, and uncontrolled disease carrying humans that Thailand dose not need right now...

What a sick comment

15 hours ago, Darksidedude said:

What i dont get is why are migrants coming to work in Thailand, with Thai people starving surely Thais must be able to do anything, any job to make ends meet

Where are these starving Thais?