New minimum wages are too low and need review : PM

[webfact]

The prime minister is not satisfied with the Wage Committee’s Friday decision on the new minimum wages in Thailand, saying that they are too low and promising a review.

 

Speaking to the media at the Pheu Thai party’s coordination centre in Kanchanaburi province yesterday, Srettha Thavisin said that the minimum wage increases, from Bt2-16, are too low while the cost of living is still increasing.

 

He noted that the Bt2-3 increase for the three southernmost provinces is insufficient to buy even a single egg.

 

He said that his government has been trying its best to reduce the hardships being suffered by low-income earners by cutting utility prices, tackling the informal debt problem and providing debt moratoria for farmers, but there are still many millions of people who depend on the minimum wage to survive.

 

TOP: PM Srettha Thavisin is greeted by people during his visit to Kanchanaburi yesterday.//Photo : PM Facebook

 

Full story: Thai PBS 2023-12-11

 

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[Ralf001]

Min wage rises = we lay off staff.

[bkk6060]

There are Thai workers in 3rd world type places like Cambodia, and Vietnam etc. making more money then here.

It is sad and disgusting really this place has no hope for the future unless they invest in their education system and develop a survivable real wage.

[2baht]

When the top 1% control 66% of the country's wealth, what would you expect! You would be fooled to think Buddha encouraged greed! 

[ezzra]

Here's an idea Mr. PM, levy more stupid tax on expat and foreigners so you'll have enough to raise workers salaries... 

[jacko45k]

1 minute ago, ezzra said:

Here's an idea Mr. PM, levy more stupid tax on expat and foreigners so you'll have enough to raise workers salaries... 

I expect my comment is redundant, but they are working on that!

[RichardColeman]

Funny, most countries in the world are now saying wages are too low, but failing to address the issue that they are responsible for the huge inflation in the past few years and all the covid related issues.

 

Companies should not have to pay more for their mismanagement ! It's a bit like your local football team telling you you should get more wages from your company as they have decided to put their costs up

[Ralf001]

28 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Here's an idea Mr. PM, levy more stupid tax on expat and foreigners so you'll have enough to raise workers salaries... 

 

Government taxes do not pay the wages of my staff.

[hotchilli]

31 minutes ago, ezzra said:

Here's an idea Mr. PM, levy more stupid tax on expat and foreigners so you'll have enough to raise workers salaries... 

Shhhhh.

[Tropicalevo]

3 hours ago, bkk6060 said:

There are Thai workers in 3rd world type places like Cambodia, and Vietnam etc. making more money then here.

It is sad and disgusting really this place has no hope for the future unless they invest in their education system and develop a survivable real wage.

And there are lots and lots of Khmers and Burmese who come to Thailand (legally and illegally) to earn less than the Thai minimum wage.

I agree with your sentiment though.

[webfact]

Thailand’s minimum wage increase sparks controversy and calls for revision
by Mitch Connor

 

The contentious decision to marginally increase the daily minimum wage in Thailand spurred the Ministry of Labour into seeking discussions with the tripartite committee, which approved the hike.

 

Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin critiqued the decision as insignificant, stating that the 2 to 16 baht rise approved last Friday was insufficient.

The tripartite committee, also referred to as the wage board, comprises representatives from the ministry, employers, and employees. They have defended their decision, asserting its finality and the Thai prime Minister’s lack of legal authority to interfere.

 

Pairoj Chotikasathien, the permanent secretary for labour, suggested that the committee should consider whether the new wage rates could still be revised following the 61 year old prime minister’s comments. He noted that the decision was informed by the wage rates proposed by the wage sub-committee in each province.

These rates were then screened by a central committee before being proposed to the tripartite committee.

Atthayuth Leeyavanich, a member of the wage committee representing employers, addressed the Prime Minister’s criticism of the 2-baht increase in the provinces of Yala, Narathiwat, and Pattani. He highlighted that the provincial wage sub-committees in Yala and Narathiwat had proposed the 2-baht increase, while Pattani’s sub-committee had not requested a rise.

 

Full story: The Thaiger 2023-12-11

 

- Cigna offers a range of visa-compliant plans that meet the minimum requirement of medical treatment, including COVID-19, up to THB 3m. For more information on all expat health insurance plans click here.

 

Get our Daily Newsletter - Click HERE to subscribe

[Gottfrid]

They could try to make them work effective. As an example, I see 1 fork lift driver taking down pallets in a well known wholesale grocery super market. There are already pallets on the floor with products. Still 5 of the staff are waling around the forklift driver talking to each other. Other times they are seen sitting on the floor talking in a corner of the store. if everyone worked, they would probably only need 1 fork lift driver and 2 on the flor picking products. Then, they could also get a better pay check.

[djayz]

People should be paid what they are worth... Hence the low wages here. 

A never ending problem. Empty heads, empty pockets. 

[Geoffggi]

They pay a paultry minimum wage then ask the population to have more children, the mind boggles at the governments stupidity ...............

[Yellowtail]

41 minutes ago, Gottfrid said:

They could try to make them work effective. As an example, I see 1 fork lift driver taking down pallets in a well known wholesale grocery super market. There are already pallets on the floor with products. Still 5 of the staff are waling around the forklift driver talking to each other. Other times they are seen sitting on the floor talking in a corner of the store. if everyone worked, they would probably only need 1 fork lift driver and 2 on the flor picking products. Then, they could also get a better pay check.

So, hire fewer people, but pay them more? 

 

That's what will happen when the minimum wage is increased. 

[Yellowtail]

I think people that support minimum wages silly. 

[superal]

1 hour ago, Gottfrid said:

They could try to make them work effective. As an example, I see 1 fork lift driver taking down pallets in a well known wholesale grocery super market. There are already pallets on the floor with products. Still 5 of the staff are waling around the forklift driver talking to each other. Other times they are seen sitting on the floor talking in a corner of the store. if everyone worked, they would probably only need 1 fork lift driver and 2 on the flor picking products. Then, they could also get a better pay check.

You describe a typical working scene at many large Thai shops . I have also seen the same in D.I.Y. stores where the uniform wearing staff outnumber customers by at least 10 to 1 . They also hide in out of the way places and using their phones . Have little if any product knowledge and rarely can speak any English . How the company can survive or make a profit is questionable .

[Celsius]

8 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Min wage rises = we lay off staff.

 

People probably won't understand your comment, but someone with an engineering degree here starts at 20,000 a month. 

 

Thai companies are simply  not willing to pay. 

 

Grab competition will get more fierce.

[spidermike007]

There's a reason why massive numbers of the youth are abandoning Thailand for greener pastures, there's not a lot of potential here unless you're a very entrepreneurial or you're in high level management. 

 

Possibly those that were smart enough to get a degree in structural  engineering, the medical profession and some other very specialized fields have the potential to do well. 

[JustinCredible]

9 hours ago, Ralf001 said:

Min wage rises = we lay off staff.

If you cannot afford to pay the extra 16 (maybe even 20) baht per day your business must be in trouble.

[Ralf001]

15 minutes ago, JustinCredible said:

If you cannot afford to pay the extra 16 (maybe even 20) baht per day your business must be in trouble.

 

Bussiness is just fine, makes a great profit, average 180 million per month gross.

 

Wages pot is not endless though.

 

Lay off Thai staff and replace with Laos and Cambodian staff, cheaper to employ and no fkucing unions to deal with.

 

Edited December 11, 2023 by Ralf001

[gintis0604]

First of all they should be paid per hour, not per day. Some people have to work 12 hours a day, no overtime. 

Many shops, like Thaiwatsadu, have too many employees, who just hang around, talking or playing with their phones. Lack of management. 

[Ben Zioner]

9 hours ago, 2baht said:

When the top 1% control 66% of the country's wealth, what would you expect! You would be fooled to think Buddha encouraged greed! 

And the PM  being "one of  them"...

[Photoguy21]

9 hours ago, 2baht said:

When the top 1% control 66% of the country's wealth, what would you expect! You would be fooled to think Buddha encouraged greed! 

Only 66%? That seems very low.

[Yellowtail]

37 minutes ago, gintis0604 said:

First of all they should be paid per hour, not per day. Some people have to work 12 hours a day, no overtime. 

Thai labor law mandates that employees be paid for overtime. The labor department will go after employers vigorously that do not comply. While there are employers that cheat, they are not the norm. 

37 minutes ago, gintis0604 said:

Many shops, like Thaiwatsadu, have too many employees, who just hang around, talking or playing with their phones. Lack of management. 

And as the minimum wage increases and they watch the margin decrease they will have fewer. 

[Purdey]

It's a hairy situation I guess. Raise it substantially and expect layoffs or price rises to compensate. 

Again, education is so bad, people are only suitable for shops and labor. If any prime minister days he will raise education levels in one term, he is lying or foolish 

[Yellowtail]

1 hour ago, JustinCredible said:

If you cannot afford to pay the extra 16 (maybe even 20) baht per day your business must be in trouble.

You must be a leftist. It is just basic arithmetic. As labor becomes more expensive, all things the same, you have to use less labor you want to maintain margins.

 

Have you noticed how many people are sweeping here? As the cost of labor goes up, a power-sweeper that costs $250K that does the work of ten staff becomes more attractive. The driver will earn a little more than one of the old staff, but the other nine staff will be out of work. 

 

 

[Yellowtail]

1 minute ago, Purdey said:

It's a hairy situation I guess. Raise it substantially and expect layoffs or price rises to compensate. 

 

Any raise at all must result in layoffs, higher prices, a reduction in profit, or some combination of the three. 

 

1 minute ago, Purdey said:

Again, education is so bad, people are only suitable for shops and labor. If any prime minister days he will raise education levels in one term, he is lying or foolish 

 

There are only so many jobs that require significant education. Over half the workforce in the US have college degrees, which just means more and more jobs require one to have a degree. 

 

Jobs that used to only require a high school diploma, now require college degrees. 

 

 

[worgeordie]

12 hours ago, webfact said:

said that the minimum wage increases, from Bt2-16, are too low while the cost of living is still increasing.

Is that a day ? definitely won't be an hour .....  Employers will be wringing the hands

we cannot afford that ,too much ,too much

 

regards Worgeordie  

[ikke1959]

Freeze the giant salaries of the company bosses.... until they are willing to pay a bit more for the ones who work and in facto give them their great salaries and profits