Prisoners Put to Work in Thai Factories Desperate for Labor

[webfact]

Prisoners Put to Work in Thai Factories Desperate for Labor

By Suttinee Yuvejwattana and Randy Thanthong-Knight

 

• Many migrant workers left Thailand after lockdown last year

•Thailand has one of the world’s highest incarceration rates

 

Inmates serving term for non-violent crimes, like drug use, will be eligible as long as they are willing to work. //File photo

 

Facing an acute labor shortage after the pandemic-induced lockdown sparked an exodus of migrant workers, Thailand has a solution: Get prisoners to work in factories.

 

The initiative by Justice Minister Somsak Thepsuthin involves building industrial estates where companies can run their production facilities staffed by inmates nearing the end of their jail sentences. The plan may help the convicts shed the stigma of having been in prison, with possibly ready employment upon release.

 

“This is an important project that needs to happen,” Somsak, who has been justice minister since July 2019, said in an interview on Wednesday in Bangkok. “It helps companies and inmates, and it saves taxpayers’ money.”

 

Full story: https://www.bloomberg.com/news/articles/2021-03-04/prisoners-put-to-work-in-thai-factories-desperate-for-labor

 

-- © Copyright Bloomberg 2021-03-05

 

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[Thaiwrath]

2 minutes ago, webfact said:

Facing an acute labor shortage after the pandemic-induced lockdown

Offer a realistic livable wage, instead of peanuts attracting slave labour, and get a proper workforce.

Although that will reduce the profits of Mr Bigs, therefore it won't happen.

[ThailandRyan]

Just like Prison industries for the California Department of Corrections has been doing for years.  Making stuff for the State.

[PatOngo]

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

[toofarnorth]

I wonder if the cons will be making bolts for the doors .

[ThailandRyan]

Just now, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand

It's about keeping money in the pockets of the haves not putting it in the have not pockets ergo migrant cheap labor is needed, but with Covid-19 they are few and far between.

[darksidedog]

I would say this is a good idea, but my previous experience with such work for prisoners is that they do not actually get paid the going rate, or even close to it. Nong Plalai prison near Pattaya pays factory working inmates 40 Baht a day, leaving me suspicious that the factory owners and prison officials are pocketing the balance.

[canopus1969]

12 minutes ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

Maybe they suffer form lazyitis   ????

[ezzra]

28 minutes ago, darksidedog said:

I would say this is a good idea, but my previous experience with such work for prisoners is that they do not actually get paid the going rate, or even close to it. Nong Plalai prison near Pattaya pays factory working inmates 40 Baht a day, leaving me suspicious that the factory owners and prison officials are pocketing the balance.

I guess that the authorities look at that is the prisoners should THANK THEM for letting them out of their stuffy cells to the sunlight and fresh air and they should be thankful that.. so what is one more case of human exploitation in Thailand among the many others?...

[Scouse123]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I would say this is a good idea, but my previous experience with such work for prisoners is that they do not actually get paid the going rate, or even close to it. Nong Plalai prison near Pattaya pays factory working inmates 40 Baht a day, leaving me suspicious that the factory owners and prison officials are pocketing the balance.

That has always been the case. Prisoners are given promises about extra money if targets are met that never materialize. 

Also,in Bangkok Ban Kwang ( Nonthaburi) they have had factory sweatshops for years producing fake and counterfeit goods, a lot of which ends up in the markets of Bangkok.

Chonburi used to produce furniture, some of it very good, and have a public sale once or twice a year. Prisoners never received anything except empty promises.

The prison system in Thailand is broken and terribly corrupt, and as many as 40% are incarcerated because they were too poor to fight the charges, they knew they would be found guilty anyway after mortgaging everything they owned. 

So, the clever money is to accept a crime you didn't commit and get a reduced half sentence.

[polpott]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million?

Bigger in area and population than the UK which has the worlds 5th largest economy. Where do you get "such a small country" from? Which is your country?

[foreverlomsak]

2 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

Won't work for the money that is offered to migrant labor, and too many have learned how to get good money in tourism, etc.

[trainman34014]

There are enough lazy Thai Males laying around up North to fill up ten factories with workers while their Wives/Girlfriends slave away in the Local Markets fom 4am to 8pm every day of the week to provide food for the family plus Beer and Smokes for the Men   It's time Thailand got its own Men working instead of relying on Foreign Slave Labour !

[ukrules]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million?

It's simple, about a month or two ago they had an amnesty where people were allowed to stay inside the country.

 

The corruption system then kicked into action, 'agents' would process applications for multiples of the migrant workers monthly salary based on what I've read.

 

These people are pure scum.

 

Then they announced that this amnesty period is ending only recently.

 

Hence the mass exodus of migrant workers who don't want to be locked up in prison and then deported with large fines which most of them won't be able to pay.

 

The whole thing was very predictable from the day it was announced, in fact it was so predictable that it could well have been planned to happen in this way.

 

Now they're short of workers as they've scared them all away....again.

 

They've done this before multiple times and they will do it again and again and again, of this I'm sure.

 

[ukrules]

2 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I would say this is a good idea, but my previous experience with such work for prisoners is that they do not actually get paid the going rate, or even close to it. Nong Plalai prison near Pattaya pays factory working inmates 40 Baht a day, leaving me suspicious that the factory owners and prison officials are pocketing the balance.

 

Yes, sounds like they're being used as slaves.

 

[mtls2005]

Prisoners have been cleaning the sewers in Bangkok for ages.

[RichardColeman]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Prisoners Put to Work in Thai Factories Desperate for Labor

corrected :  'Prisoners Put to Work in Thai Factories Desperate for Cheap Labor'

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

You and I both know that Thailand has more than sufficient manpower, unfortunately a vast majority can't get off their collective lazy a rses for an honest days work, coupled with the slave labour wages offered by Scrooge like companies ???? 

[Artisi]

3 hours ago, darksidedog said:

I would say this is a good idea, but my previous experience with such work for prisoners is that they do not actually get paid the going rate, or even close to it. Nong Plalai prison near Pattaya pays factory working inmates 40 Baht a day, leaving me suspicious that the factory owners and prison officials are pocketing the balance.

 That MUST be fake news, no Thai would ever take such an advantage and do that to a fellow Thai, now would they? 

[Natai Beach]

3 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

 

It is because Thailand has a bigger economy, more factories, more tourist places   (in normal times) , a bigger fishing industry, a bigger car industry,  etc than Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia put together. For years Thailand had the fastest growing economy in the world.

Thais are good at managing migrant labor and millions are lining up from third world countries to get a job in Thailand, good for them and their families dragging them out of poverty and good for Thai businessmen. 
 

I was on a building site down here in Natai Beach today. The Thai bosses who I was meeting with sitting comfortably in the Site office with coffee and snacks, supervising the Thai managers/sub contractors outside who were basically just overseeing the many Burmese workers sweating it out doing all the hard work. 
 

It is that old saying Pat, No flies on the Thais.

 

 

 

 

[Artisi]

5 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

 

It is because Thailand has a bigger economy, more factories, more tourist places   (in normal times) , a bigger fishing industry, a bigger car industry,  etc than Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia put together. For years Thailand had the fastest growing economy in the world.

Thais are good at managing migrant labor and millions are lining up from third world countries to get a job in Thailand, good for them and their families dragging them out of poverty and good for Thai businessmen. 
 

I was on a building site down here in Natai Beach today. The Thai bosses who I was meeting with sitting comfortably in the Site office with coffee and snacks, supervising the Thai managers/sub contractors outside who were basically just overseeing the many Burmese workers sweating it out doing all the hard work. 
 

It is that old saying Pat, No flies on the Thais.

 

 

 

 

But you can see where they (flies) have been? 

[PatOngo]

1 hour ago, foreverlomsak said:

Won't work for the money that is offered to migrant labor, and too many have learned how to get good money in tourism, etc.

Well they've had a very lean year!

[Natai Beach]

6 minutes ago, Artisi said:

But you can see where they (flies) have been? 

 That is right mate. None were in the air conditioned site office or in the air conditioned cab of the pickup.

 

Why be a labourer covered in flies in the dusty heat when you can be a boss or a manager making ten times the money sitting in front of the aircon. 

The Thais have certainly vastly out performed their SEA cousins. Very smart people the Thais.
TAT convinced me firstly to holiday here, and it was so bเoody womderful I decided to move here permanently. 

I certainly have no complaints or regrets about that decision.

[Justgrazing]

41 minutes ago, Natai Beach said:

 

It is because Thailand has a bigger economy, more factories, more tourist places   (in normal times) , a bigger fishing industry, a bigger car industry,  etc than Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia put together. For years Thailand had the fastest growing economy in the world.

Thais are good at managing migrant labor and millions are lining up from third world countries to get a job in Thailand, good for them and their families dragging them out of poverty and good for Thai businessmen. 
 

I was on a building site down here in Natai Beach today. The Thai bosses who I was meeting with sitting comfortably in the Site office with coffee and snacks, supervising the Thai managers/sub contractors outside who were basically just overseeing the many Burmese workers sweating it out doing all the hard work. 
 

It is that old saying Pat, No flies on the Thais.

 

 

 

 

 

Are you on the payroll or something .. 

If not you should be .. 

[edwinchester]

'An honest days pay for an honest weeks work' springs to mind.

[Cake Monster]

5 hours ago, PatOngo said:

How can there be a labor shortage in such a small country with a population of approx 68 million????? Does Vietnam have a labor shortage, does the Philippines have a labor shortage, does Malaysia have a labor shortage? Burma, Cambodia and Laos who have smaller populations export labor to Thailand. I am truly curious.

 

 

Its easy to see why there is a Labour Shortage in Thailand.

50 % of the Adult Population has a justified rep for being plain lazy.

 

[bluesofa]

3 hours ago, mtls2005 said:

Prisoners have been cleaning the sewers in Bangkok for ages.

If they've been doing it that long they must really stink.

[hotchilli]

6 hours ago, ThailandRyan said:

Just like Prison industries for the California Department of Corrections has been doing for years.  Making stuff for the State.

It's fine if it's fair for the workers, getting a credible salary, taken out of the cells and do some work, possibly given training which would be useful on leaving prison.

Not like the Uyghurs in China, slave labour factories so the CCP companies can undercut the market prices to gain sales.

[Deli]

I repeat myself, as I don't understand this labor shortage with million of jobless people. Very often it's just pure lazyness or to be too proud to work in a factory, instead in a hotel or office. And the Thai society supports this lazyness, as the family shelters and feeds the jobless ( lazy ) member as long as possible. Fact is that many Thais, specially men, don't like physical labor and prefer to sit on their lazy axx.

[djayz]

Although I'm not opposed to the idea of prisoners working for their upkeep, I have to wonder what happened to all those who lost their jobs in the hospitality industry over the past year? Are they overskilled, underskilled or simply too good for this kind of work?