Southern Industries Oppose 400 Baht Wage Hike, Call for Regional Adjustments

[snoop1130]

 

The Southern Industrial Council firmly opposes the proposed increase of Thailand's minimum wage to 400 baht, advocating for a more nuanced, region-specific approach. Adisorn Tanaengchuan, President of the Southern Industrial Council and executive member of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), voiced concerns ahead of the Labour Wage Committee's meeting today, which aims to discuss the third minimum wage adjustment for 2024.

 

The government’s policy proposes raising the minimum wage to 400 baht from October 1, pending a two-thirds majority vote. Despite resistance from employer representatives, the current administration is pushing forward with the increase. Central to the opposition is the argument that a blanket wage hike would not account for the economic diversity across Thailand's regions.

 

Adisorn highlighted that the industrial sector, particularly small and medium enterprises (SMEs), are already struggling with high electricity and oil costs, not to mention competition from the influx of Chinese products. A universal wage hike to 400 baht could exacerbate these struggles, potentially leading to more factory closures, which have already been on the rise.

 

Adisorn suggested that wage adjustments should consider varying economic conditions and be tailored to different regions and industries. He noted that some sectors, particularly those relying on agricultural outputs with low technology and labour-intensive processes, could accommodate the wage increase more readily than others.

 

 

 

 

The Southern Industrial Council president is urging the government to heed feedback from business representatives, employees, and public agencies. He emphasised that even employees do not uniformly support a nationwide wage increase, advocating instead for region-specific adjustments that better reflect local economic conditions and GDP growth rates.

 

“We want the government to listen to the voices of business representatives, employees, and public agencies. Currently, even employees do not want a blanket 400 baht wage hike across the country,” Adisorn reiterated.

 

In conclusion, the Southern Industrial Council believes that a one-size-fits-all wage policy could lead to unnecessary economic strain and business closures. They call for careful consideration of regional differences and a collaborative approach to ensure the proposed wage adjustments support economic sustainability and growth.

 

File photo for reference only

 

-- 2024-09-20

 

 

[MarkBR]

OMG - 400 baht is tiny amount of money.

[Tropicalevo]

3 minutes ago, MarkBR said:

OMG - 400 baht is tiny amount of money.

Only to rich foreigners.

(Yes, in Thai eyes, all foreigners are rich.)

[MarkBR]

Just now, Tropicalevo said:

Only to rich foreigners.

(Yes, in Thai eyes, all foreigners are rich.)

It would help with the extreme poverty here.  I live in rural Thailand.  Yes, I know all Thais think we are very rich, my partner is Thai, I have this from the horse's mouth.

[ikke1959]

They are all want to boost the economy but they refuse to pay a proper wage for the workers..Labourers should be organized like in the western countries and demand higher wages and better work enviroment, and if the super rich CEO refuse strike that  will hurt their wallets and than things can change 

[fvw53]

For an employer times can be good but never good enough to justify increase of salaries.

For a worker or employee time can be bad but never too bad to justifiy increase of salaries.

In true democracies the freely elected government will step in as a referee.

[digger70]

19 hours ago, Tropicalevo said:

Only to rich foreigners.

(Yes, in Thai eyes, all foreigners are rich.)

But they Ain't 

[hotchilli]

19 hours ago, snoop1130 said:

The Southern Industrial Council firmly opposes the proposed increase of Thailand's minimum wage to 400 baht, advocating for a more nuanced, region-specific approach

That mentality keeps the poor people and poor areas poor.. 

[digger70]

Southern Industries Oppose 400 Baht Wage Hike, Call for Regional Adjustments 

 

That is stupid . Every persons costs have gone up so they deserve the same increase no matter where they are in the country.

[Will B Good]

 

 

 

 

How are these company owners supposed to make obscene profits if they have to pay a living wage?

 

Screw the workers.....if the pay is no good get another job or a different job or both.

 

When I were a lad I was up at 4am and had to walk for two hours just to get to work.

 

My dad said he used to dream of lying in till 4am.

 

 

 

[black tabby12345]

1 hour ago, fvw53 said:

In true democracies the freely elected government will step in as a referee.

 

 

Thailand is supposed to be the democratic state.

But in reality, the democracy is not really functioning here.

The  privileged few never go the ordinary  prison(that houses common criminals) when they are convicted.

That is the perfect example.

Lacking judicial justice,  So as the economic justice. 0.1% of the nation, dominates 70% of the wealth.

Edited September 21 by black tabby12345

[bradiston]

I thought I read it only applied to companies that had 200 or more employees. Or was it 20? And there are othercstipulations. So it's already nuanced. Just get on with it. But it's being nobbled by the committee that overseas wage increases. Yes, there is such a thing. The employer's delegates have boycotted the meetings, meaning they're forever inquorate and can't pass a 66% vote. Time for the government to kick out these ridiculous committees that hold the whole country to ransom. Thailand is run by committees it seems. They come and go, so are never around to take responsibility for anything. Remember, a camel is a horse designed by a committee. All well and good if you wanted a desert roaming horse I guess.

[Scott Tracy]

11 hours ago, fvw53 said:

In true democracies the freely elected government will step in as a referee.

And where, pray thee, does happen? Private industry pays what it perceives to be a market rate. Public services, well in my country, have pay review boards which often get ignored by the government of the day. Referee, my posterior.

[still kicking]

On 9/20/2024 at 6:52 PM, Tropicalevo said:

Only to rich foreigners.

(Yes, in Thai eyes, all foreigners are rich.)

I must be rich then I am pensioner and my pension is 60,373.02 per month.