Thailand KFC Faces Employee Lawsuit For Unfair Practices

[metisdead]

The topic of this thread is: Thailand KFC Faces Employee Lawsuit For Unfair Practices Forced to live on instant noodles and leftover fried chicken. Let's keep the discussion related to this.

[bonobo]

Not to nitpick as the point is still valid, but in 2006, at least, the richest 400 Americans were worth about $1.3 trillion, according to Forbes Magazine..As reported in WIki, the net worth of the US in 2008 was $75 trillion. (link)

Ok, maybe it was "400 people get 50% of the INCOME per year". Whatever. My point is that the greed of some people is something that I just cannot understand. No one can possibly EARN that much money. They make the money on the backs of other people. And many of those people are grossly underpaid.

Another thing I can never understand is, why is it that people complain about a worker making a comfortable wage but the same people never complain about the top people being paid multi millions is salary?? No person is worth that kind of money. People who send their companies broke get paid millions in golden parachutes. Why is that ok??

BTW, I worked with Thai kids in a food concession in a US National Park. They worked hard, were diligent, and were pleasant to work with. If someone is having problems with their Thai workers then maybe they should look in the mirror.

Another thing I can never understand is, why is it that people complain about a worker making a comfortable wage but the same people never complain about the top people being paid multi millions is salary?? No person is worth that kind of money. People who send their companies broke get paid millions in golden parachutes. Why is that ok??

BTW, I worked with Thai kids in a food concession in a US National Park. They worked hard, were diligent, and were pleasant to work with. If someone is having problems with their Thai workers then maybe they should look in the mirror.

No one can "earn" that kind of money? What a strange idea.

Bill Gates developed the system for which most the world uses each and every time they turn on a computer. I would imagine that in posting in ThaiVisa, you are in the majority and are making use of his development. But if not Microsoft, then chances are you are using what Steve Jobs developed. Then there is Mark Zuckerberg. Should he give away most of his earnings just because he is a billionaire after developing Facebook? Or Oprah, should she turn down the money she makes from her shows, magazine, and other ventures.

I am reminded of watching one of those news magazine shows in the US. The crusading reporter was out to right all the wrongs with American business. He went to a plant in SC where the union was kept out, and where employees worked on holidays. When he asked if the workers were upset that the owner made about $3 mil that year, they laughed and pointed out that many of them made over $100k. This from only high school-educated people. And they worked on holidays as it paid triple overtime, not because they were being forced to work. The reporter was seeking outrage; instead he got happy workers.

Even when using "earnings" in no way do the top 400 make 50% of the nation's earnings. With the top 400 earning around $140 billion and the total national personal earnings being $5.8 trillion, that is still only at 2.5%. Huge for only 400 people, but nowhere near 50%.

Whether the disparity between the top earners and the bottom is a problem is something that can be debated. And if I owned stock in Viacom, I would wonder if Philippe Dauman was worth his $84 mil, but then again, I don't know what he has done for the company. But I don't think it does any examination of the situation any good to make wildly exaggerated claims, nor to throw in purely subjective exclamations as fact. Just my opinion.

I don't know what the disparity is in Thailand. I would guess that it might be greater than in the US. But that is a macroeconomic consideration. When you are working at KFC, does it really matter much to you on how much Chaleo Yoovidhya makes each year? The question at hand is whether the KFC workers are being treated unfairly or not for their work in the restaurants, not in how they compare to top execs. And not, for that matter, on how that compares with the top 400 in the US.

[ClaudeFeller]

We pay for the unskilled Nong-Chay 250 THB per day plus food. Six days a week, 8 hours a day. This makes some 8,000 THB a month. More with OT. We give the oppportunity to learn and to get skilled (which is rarely used) and to earn more money. Normally, they run away after 2-4 months without giving a call. Maybe home sick, maybe tired, maybe sb promised a better job.

BTW free food is a standard here in Thailand.

If we would pay more it would be the same situation.

Many Thais are just not used to work in a kind of fair partnership, thats why stealing and cheating is a normal experience. I say "many" and not "all". Just walk in a Thai managed office - the big desk of the boss is always behind the staff, a stupid control thing rarely used in western countries.

A job at KFC should be better paid than the minimum wages because it is relativly hard. Not to mention that they hire parttime which results in a even poorer wages.

[sirchai]

I suppose Toyota employees should also get a brand new car for free!

Forced to eat noodles ??? I doubt anyone forced them. Do not like noodles go buy what you like!

Left overs food, as in unsold food! How is that leftovers??? Why should company put up a banquet for the staff?

Travel allowance? Is that a joke? Do not like to work or finish late, find another job!

Were paid ONLY 27 baht per hour?? Well that's ONLY the salary in Thailand . Are employees brain surgeons? Or highly educated staff ??

There is nothing unfair in removing those who disturb company operations. They used company time and money for their own agenda, further more they did not contact the management to voice their concerns prior to creating a problem .

If you ask me, nothing but 2 gold diggers trying to make some money.

KFC is a business and profits it makes is not an employees business . If employee has a problem with company profits, they are welcome to open their own.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with your post and it shows that you’re not very familiar with this country and its problems.

Your Toyota worker example surprises me, there’s no direct similarity.

How could they go to buy what they like?

Don’t you understand that most of them are really financially starving?

It wasn’t that they were asking for a banquet. Why not a travel allowance?

One liter of gasoline is 43 baht, they make 27 one hour.

Have you ever thought about how much profit they are making using them like a tool?

Most employees have to have a university degree to get such a high paid job, so you really mean that they should kick those out who had realized that they got a sort of ripped off?

My wife is Thai and I don’t want to let her know how some foreigners here are thinking about Thais.

It’s just showing that you’re not a person who can appreciate that other people are trying to have a better life.

Shouldn’t they have the chance to get married and having kids?

But life can change immediately. What would you think if you’d be suddenly on their side? :jap:

Edited May 11, 2011 by sirchai

[Wallaby]

Correct me if I am wrong, but I believe in great Oz employers do not feed the staff, ie provide free meals.

What benefits does KFC Australia pay??

What wages KFC Australia pay? Minimum

Again KFC Australia is affordable even by people on the dole- sales huge!!!

KFC Thailand affordable by selective few!

Why you comparing apples to banana's???

Australia also even has a syndrome which originated from there - tall poppy syndrome !!

When I was at school I worked 2 jobs- all paying minimum wage!

I worked paperboy run at 5am, went to school, after school fish shop till 9pm, 5 days pet week plus 12 hour days on Saturday and sunday .

I did not have time to hang out or play in timezone arcade and slept 4-5 hours per day.

When I went to uni, I worked 7 nights for minimum wage and again slept 4-5 hours per day mainly on the bus .

When I got my first job, again minimum wage, I continued working nights again skipping very little.

So now you want to come on the board and tell me I have bad attitude ???

Get a job and work!!!! Work 2 jobs if one is not enough.

This is what people do who want to have things in life, they work and work hard!

Rich dud not make money by sleeping and whining about their salary- they worked and made sacrifices to get where they are.

And once they got to where they are, they gave to work twice as hard to keep it.

Nor to mention the millions they give to charity's the ones who really need it!!

Kuffki, I made a post answering your questions but it was deleted as being off topic. I'll leave it at that.

[kuffki]

I am sorry but do you understand that people's personal problems have nothing to do with the company?

Do you understand that company is not a charity and it does not have to feed employees? And if it does, then they should be thankful instead of complaining

Why should a company pay travel allowance??? What company in the world pays unskilled labor travel allowance??

I am sorry to sat but it appears you have lost all sense of reality and rather developed " give me money syndrome " so many thai have.

I strongly suggest you take a trip out of Thailand into a real world , better yet get a job and then make this ridiculous demands like travel allowance and see what happens.

If some one can not afford petrol, they clearly should not have a car.

Bus is only 6-10 baht

It is certainly not company responsibility to help to get to or from work.

I suppose Toyota employees should also get a brand new car for free!

Forced to eat noodles ??? I doubt anyone forced them. Do not like noodles go buy what you like!

Left overs food, as in unsold food! How is that leftovers??? Why should company put up a banquet for the staff?

Travel allowance? Is that a joke? Do not like to work or finish late, find another job!

Were paid ONLY 27 baht per hour?? Well that's ONLY the salary in Thailand . Are employees brain surgeons? Or highly educated staff ??

There is nothing unfair in removing those who disturb company operations. They used company time and money for their own agenda, further more they did not contact the management to voice their concerns prior to creating a problem .

If you ask me, nothing but 2 gold diggers trying to make some money.

KFC is a business and profits it makes is not an employees business . If employee has a problem with company profits, they are welcome to open their own.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with your post and it shows that you’re not very familiar with this country and its problems.

Your Toyota worker example surprises me, there’s no direct similarity.

How could they go to buy what they like?

Don’t you understand that most of them are really financially starving?

It wasn’t that they were asking for a banquet. Why not a travel allowance?

One liter of gasoline is 43 baht, they make 27 one hour.

Have you ever thought about how much profit they are making using them like a tool?

Most employees have to have a university degree to get such a high paid job, so you really mean that they should kick those out who had realized that they got a sort of ripped off?

My wife is Thai and I don’t want to let her know how some foreigners here are thinking about Thais.

It’s just showing that you’re not a person who can appreciate that other people are trying to have a better life.

Shouldn’t they have the chance to get married and having kids?

But life can change immediately. What would you think if you’d be suddenly on their side? :jap:

[jdinasia]

I get travel allowances (or company car w/ driver when desired) and free meals. ALL of the staff gets free meals, we have our own canteen and from the housekeeping staff to the executives -- we all eat the same food. We pay a travel allowance for all use of POV's (personally owned vehicles). Snacks and extras are added into the kitty weekly ....

Then again, we are a Thai company that ...

1) Keeps a very loyal staff

2) Has extremely low turn-over despite the fact that we pay Thai wages.

[cardholder]

When I was at school I worked 2 jobs- all paying minimum wage!

I worked paperboy run at 5am, went to school, after school fish shop till 9pm, 5 days pet week plus 12 hour days on Saturday and sunday .

I did not have time to hang out or play in timezone arcade and slept 4-5 hours per day.

When I went to uni, I worked 7 nights for minimum wage and again slept 4-5 hours per day mainly on the bus .

When I got my first job, again minimum wage, I continued working nights again skipping very little.

So now you want to come on the board and tell me I have bad attitude ???

Get a job and work!!!! Work 2 jobs if one is not enough.

This is what people do who want to have things in life, they work and work hard!

Agree entirely.

Get a work ethic first and don't expect everyone else to give you everything.

[kuffki]

Well if you own the company I do not see why you would not get a car or travel allowance!

As for giving one to your staff, it is your prerogative to do as you wish.

Different company's have different ways of handling business , KFC way clearly has not failed hence its a multinational billion $ company.

Perhaps KFC employees can apply for a job with you and get all the benefits.

May be you should offer the job to the managers that were fired, they do not have a job at all now.

quote name='jdinasia' timestamp='1305098315' post='4416189']

I get travel allowances (or company car w/ driver when desired) and free meals. ALL of the staff gets free meals, we have our own canteen and from the housekeeping staff to the executives -- we all eat the same food. We pay a travel allowance for all use of POV's (personally owned vehicles). Snacks and extras are added into the kitty weekly ....

Then again, we are a Thai company that ...

1) Keeps a very loyal staff

2) Has extremely low turn-over despite the fact that we pay Thai wages.

[tropo]

Not to mention an overstatement of the US population by about 30 million.

Would you care to bet your life on that?? Ok, but the official number is always low. My estimate is at least 30 million

No problem. By the time you've gone around and counted them all I'll be dead anyway.

[tropo]

The issue is really weather or not employees should have some protections if they take a company to task. I doubt that they do here and I know that they don't in the US.

I for one support these folks who are trying to improve the lot of employees. They are doing it at great risk to themselves.

We all have a moral obligation to support fairness when we can and the only thing that these companies understand is economic hardship which we can produce by boycotting companies that treat people unfairly. It worked to end apartheid, it worked to give Glen Beck the boot and it worked to improve the civil rights of blacks in the US.

I eat at KFC quite a lot, but I will not continue to do so in the future.

No one is suggesting that these employees get western wages and to exaggerate the issue is typical right wing ideology and outrageously stupid.

All that will happen if a store is boycotted to the point of going broke is that all the staff will lose their jobs. You won't fix a thing. Your theories are meaningless in developing nations such as Thailand.

[SAffer]

I would be interested to see the profits that KFC make here compared to countries where they actually do pay a fair wage. An earlier post suggested that the cost of buying food from KFC is similar here and in NZ, but wages differ significantly.

[dumball]

'kuffki' timestamp='1305097312' post='4416161']

I am sorry but do you understand that people's personal problems have nothing to do with the company?

Do you understand that company is not a charity and it does not have to feed employees? And if it does, then they should be thankful instead of complaining

Why should a company pay travel allowance??? What company in the world pays unskilled labor travel allowance??

I am sorry to sat but it appears you have lost all sense of reality and rather developed " give me money syndrome " so many thai have.

I strongly suggest you take a trip out of Thailand into a real world , better yet get a job and then make this ridiculous demands like travel allowance and see what happens.

If some one can not afford petrol, they clearly should not have a car.

Bus is only 6-10 baht

It is certainly not company responsibility to help to get to or from wor'sirchai' timestamp='1305095031' post='4416071']

'kuffki' timestamp='1304987912' post='4412873']

I suppose Toyota employees should also get a brand new car for free!

Forced to eat noodles ??? I doubt anyone forced them. Do not like noodles go buy what you like!

Left overs food, as in unsold food! How is that leftovers??? Why should company put up a banquet for the staff?

Travel allowance? Is that a joke? Do not like to work or finish late, find another job!

Were paid ONLY 27 baht per hour?? Well that's ONLY the salary in Thailand . Are employees brain surgeons? Or highly educated staff ??

There is nothing unfair in removing those who disturb company operations. They used company time and money for their own agenda, further more they did not contact the management to voice their concerns prior to creating a problem .

If you ask me, nothing but 2 gold diggers trying to make some money.

KFC is a business and profits it makes is not an employees business . If employee has a problem with company profits, they are welcome to open their own.

Sorry, but I totally disagree with your post and it shows that you're not very familiar with this country and its problems.

Your Toyota worker example surprises me, there's no direct similarity.

How could they go to buy what they like?

Don't you understand that most of them are really financially starving?

It wasn't that they were asking for a banquet. Why not a travel allowance?

One liter of gasoline is 43 baht, they make 27 one hour.

Have you ever thought about how much profit they are making using them like a tool?

Most employees have to have a university degree to get such a high paid job, so you really mean that they should kick those out who had realized that they got a sort of ripped off?

My wife is Thai and I don't want to let her know how some foreigners here are thinking about Thais.

It's just showing that you're not a person who can appreciate that other people are trying to have a better life.

Shouldn't they have the chance to get married and having kids?

But life can change immediately. What would you think if you'd be suddenly on their side? :jap:

Having read many of the posts in this topic , I find it difficult to understand what all the fuss is about , if you have a problem with the quality of food and service , send an e-mail listing your complaints to KFC head office , all KFC are supposed to opperate to the standards and methods set out in their franchise directions . The charge for the food is not standardised but shoud reflect the country of operation as it is here in Cambodia , not to over charge as KFC does in Thailand , you would need to take that up with management .

I have also read posts on here that explain why some farang business men have a problem operating a work force in the realm and keeping loyal staff , there are pointers contained within the topic that is self explanatory on their problem if they would only take the trouble to read what has been said ,ego allowing of course .

[HeavyRockStar]

Simple Economic... I enjoy going to Thialand because of the low cost of living .. Hell ..I may one day buy into a condo in this country.. but believe me you 2/3 of the people who cry Wolf about low wages .. will abandon this place as soon as the Cost of living Skyrockets.. yes, I think the Whole world should get a pay raise.. but Inflationary prices ,High Crime , and as we see already Ya-Ba and Ya- Ice.. follows.. and ALL the So call Bleeding Hearts will find another Country for their R&R.(Cambodia). for the low cost to have a Good time. Like i tell my friend in Pattaya..How Do I Do..??

Edited May 11, 2011 by metisdead
Use default forum font please.

[MaiChai]

The thing is, like many farangs living here, I love the low cost of living. I sometimes do project management work outside of Thailand in places like the middle east and Africa and I love the fact that for 1 month's salary abroad, I can live comfortably for 1 year in Thailand. If companies start increasing wages tremendously, as happened first in Japan and later in Korea, Thailand will be as expensive to live in as those countries. It's all about what you can get for what you earn. In New York City, you can earn $60,000 a year and not even be able to afford a 1-bedroom apartment.

Fair comment. I would add that how long will Asia remain cheap? What I mean is that in places like China, property is rocketing and people cannot afford to rent. Thus what happens? Salaries need to rise. Costs are rocketing here. Alot of things are now more expensive than back in the UK. How will people be able to afford the increases? Salaries will rise. We can already see that Bangkok is becoming more and more expensive; its still pretty cheap outside Bangkok. How will Thailand manage rising costs? This KFC dispute is just the start of it, I should imagine. Salaries are rising, and expect to see more disputes.

[cardholder]

I would be interested to see the profits that KFC make here compared to countries where they actually do pay a fair wage. An earlier post suggested that the cost of buying food from KFC is similar here and in NZ, but wages differ significantly.

I think you will find that the wages they pay in Thailand are 'fair' by Thailand standards.

To anything else would be unnecessary and create a division.

[trisailer]

Here's a even worse scenario; if the Thai people are not included in the "progress" and get to benefit from the success of the country than there could be blood in the streets.

Countries who provide opportunities for all it's citizens to enjoy the benefits of economic development never seem to have serious problems.....I wonder why that is....

[tropo]

You can throw as much money as you like at the staff and it won't fix a thing unless the management are running a business efficiently.

Wages are low in Thailand, so even if you paid for example, 20% above the minimum wage not much would change. I don't think many Thais would consider working at KFC a permanent career choice. I believe businesses such as KFC will always have transient workers and this needs to be considered by management and handled as best as possible - and the answer is not doubling their salaries.

There's a very efficient franchise that I frequent often - Hatchiban "8". Every week they have new staff. I've been watching it for 5 years. Nearly every time I'm eating there there are new trainees. Very few staff stay long yet the business seems to be very successful.

They have a very efficient management structure. The same manager has been there for 5 years and is running 3 stores yet most cook and wait staff are transient.

I believe the main reason they do so well is because they are using a Japanese business model which carries over into Thailand better than the US model. Perhaps this model relies on low wages for their success.

Similar success can be seen in Sukishi and Fuji. Have you ever noticed the huge number of staff they employ? I've counted over 30 people in the open kitchen in Fuji.

[jimbo38]

Even when using "earnings" in no way do the top 400 make 50% of the nation's earnings. With the top 400 earning around $140 billion and the total national personal earnings being $5.8 trillion, that is still only at 2.5%. Huge for only 400 people, but nowhere near 50%.

What ever!!! The point being that a very small number of people have a huge amount of the wealth. And they really don't need it.

The Wealth Distribution

In the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.7%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2010).

Bill Gates is a poor example to use. He is a convicted Federal felon. His programs suck. I was there at the beginning. When his dos was the worst of 3 operating systems. Even IBM dos was better than his. And DR dos was waaaaay better. But his mother was on the board of directors or something high up in IBM. She got his foot in the door and they used his dos instead of upgrading their own. His programs are for the most part "crap". But, this is off topic.

Other less famous people have contributed way more to computers. But to get back on the topic. If the top guys shared more they would have more loyal staff. Some of them do that. Some companies have great profit sharing plans.

I worked for a company that did that in the 60's. I was gettng paid as much money in the 60's as I was making in 2006. Plus I got a cost of living allowance that I actually lived on all over the world. After 6 years with the company you got profit sharing. Guys who had 10-12 years with the company made more on profit sharing than on their salary. If KFC institued something like that they wouldn't have problems with their staff. When people know that their bonus at the end of the year depends on the company making profit they make sure that no one steals things etc.

It comes down to treating your employees with respect!!!! You set the rules that everyone abides by, you enforce the rules and you treat the people with respect.

I did a study for one company I worked with just before I retired. I checked with companies that had profit sharing plans. Everyone of those companies had long lines of people waiting to get in and no one wanting to get out. It works.

[Asa]

Kuffki, who are you? You call people who make 27 baht per hour, gold diggers? Travel allowance would be fair, if they take the bus, that is two hours work. The bus, bet you would take a taxi Kuffki, gold digger.

Who am I ? Is that a rhetorical question???

27 per hour is a wage in Thailand for unskilled and uneducated labor! Do not like it?- tough luck!

Minimum daily wage is 150-190 for 9-10 hour day, so they get double the daily minimum.

Go see how much salary girls/ boys get at your local . 4000 per month if lucky 5000.

Yes the 2 making trouble are gold diggers because they trying to get compensation for being dismissed.

Travel allowance, yes when you sales exec or manager, not money for you to get to and from work.

Pay my live-in maid, Thai 6,000 to 7,000 and Burmese 5,500 to 6,500 plus medical and meal, own bedroom. Thais should realize their own high value and press for more fair deals. I wish Kuffki and the like, find as much happiness as they want, in this life. The next, who knows...

Edited May 11, 2011 by Asa

[kuffki]

Who said KFC had problems with staff?

2-3 employees out of hundred if thousands us hardly considered a problem.

Since you worked for such a great company in 60's why did you resign?

All company's take good care of the management, I really doubt they give profit share to genators or canteen workers .

Even when using "earnings" in no way do the top 400 make 50% of the nation's earnings. With the top 400 earning around $140 billion and the total national personal earnings being $5.8 trillion, that is still only at 2.5%. Huge for only 400 people, but nowhere near 50%.

What ever!!! The point being that a very small number of people have a huge amount of the wealth. And they really don't need it.

The Wealth Distribution

In the United States, wealth is highly concentrated in a relatively few hands. As of 2007, the top 1% of households (the upper class) owned 34.6% of all privately held wealth, and the next 19% (the managerial, professional, and small business stratum) had 50.5%, which means that just 20% of the people owned a remarkable 85%, leaving only 15% of the wealth for the bottom 80% (wage and salary workers). In terms of financial wealth (total net worth minus the value of one's home), the top 1% of households had an even greater share: 42.7%. Table 1 and Figure 1 present further details drawn from the careful work of economist Edward N. Wolff at New York University (2010).

Bill Gates is a poor example to use. He is a convicted Federal felon. His programs suck. I was there at the beginning. When his dos was the worst of 3 operating systems. Even IBM dos was better than his. And DR dos was waaaaay better. But his mother was on the board of directors or something high up in IBM. She got his foot in the door and they used his dos instead of upgrading their own. His programs are for the most part "crap". But, this is off topic.

Other less famous people have contributed way more to computers. But to get back on the topic. If the top guys shared more they would have more loyal staff. Some of them do that. Some companies have great profit sharing plans.

I worked for a company that did that in the 60's. I was gettng paid as much money in the 60's as I was making in 2006. Plus I got a cost of living allowance that I actually lived on all over the world. After 6 years with the company you got profit sharing. Guys who had 10-12 years with the company made more on profit sharing than on their salary. If KFC institued something like that they wouldn't have problems with their staff. When people know that their bonus at the end of the year depends on the company making profit they make sure that no one steals things etc.

It comes down to treating your employees with respect!!!! You set the rules that everyone abides by, you enforce the rules and you treat the people with respect.

I did a study for one company I worked with just before I retired. I checked with companies that had profit sharing plans. Everyone of those companies had long lines of people waiting to get in and no one wanting to get out. It works.

[jimbeam1]

Here's a even worse scenario; if the Thai people are not included in the "progress" and get to benefit from the success of the country than there could be blood in the streets.

Countries who provide opportunities for all it's citizens to enjoy the benefits of economic development never seem to have serious problems.....I wonder why that is....

1/ You mentioned in an earlier post about people being killed for their rights and the rights of others. There has already been blood in the Streets. Expect a lot more.

2/ As to your other statement. I would imagine that people are at work, or to tired, after finishing work, just trying to make ends meet.Although maybe they are just sponging off of the state.

jb1

[cardholder]

Please do tell the rentals in Australia, price of food and living.

I am pretty sure you will not even get a garage for under $200 per month, even parking space in the city cost more.

so why would you even compare the wages?

Once again, I find myself agreeing with you. Apples and Oranges comparisons just don't fit this debate.

The facts are:-

This is Thailand, Thailand has low wages, ergo rvdk needs to understand 27 Baht an hour is a decent wage for an unskilled worker. We have just increased a waitresses wage to 17 Baht an hour - and she is delighted.

For those encouraging the Thai masses to uprise for better wages, conditions etc should come to Thailand and try to understand the basic economics of the country. 80% of the population are embroiled in subsistence farming and subsistence means exactly what it says. Earning 27 baht an hour (or even 17 Baht) is a valuable addition to such households.

To those expats living in Thailand, and encouraging the Thai masses to revolt, be warned and do not complain IF prices escalated as a result.

I have previously posted that market forces will always dictate prices (this is not directly to wages) and if customers are prepared to pay the disproportionately higher prices for KFC, then so be it*. It is not just Farangs who are buying from KFC, the Thais have acquired a taste for many foreign brands.

* This does give the opportunity for an entrepreneur to open up in competition - e.g. as "Kuffki's Favourite Chicken" or "Kuffki's Spicey Chicken Only Half the Price of KFC".

[Macmundi]

Just give the KFC rights to someone else. These operators are just wrongfully using their KFC rights to abuse the Thai labor law. Then angain.. KFC Int'l doesnt care.. they just give it to someone who has the money or the capacity to manage, but not concerned about their way of practice.

[kuffki]

Just give the KFC rights to someone else. These operators are just wrongfully using their KFC rights to abuse the Thai labor law. Then angain.. KFC Int'l doesnt care.. they just give it to someone who has the money or the capacity to manage, but not concerned about their way of practice.

Please do explain how KFC abuse thai labor law?

[metisdead]

Off topic posts continue to be removed.

[cardholder]

Just give the KFC rights to someone else. These operators are just wrongfully using their KFC rights to abuse the Thai labor law. Then angain.. KFC Int'l doesnt care.. they just give it to someone who has the money or the capacity to manage, but not concerned about their way of practice.

KFC are doing nothing wrong !!!

It is the Thai workers who are no longer happy with their terms of employment.

Note:

Are Toyota abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Are MacDonalds abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Are Svensens abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Are Mama Noddles abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Are 7/11 abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Are Pizza Hut abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Is the Thai government abusing Thai labor law by paying the going rate ?

Shall I go on ?

Edited May 11, 2011 by cardholder

[Wallaby]

Apologies again gentlemen. You have asked questions about thai KFC in comparison to oz to indicate that thai workers receive the same legal obligations and therefore are no worse off.

I note your posts requesting the information remain however I'm afraid it seems your questions must go unanswered as my response has been deleted.

I will just leave it to you to use your imagination as to whether thai workers are treated the same under the KFC global franchise.

[dananderson]

Youth in New Zealand make NZ$10.13 per hour... http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/KFC Currently the NZ$ is 0.79 for one US$ or about half of the 13 per hour $US that was previously stated here. If you think work conditions are bad in Thailand they pale in comparison with most of thier neighbors. Capatilisim at it's worst.....hardly. That would be in the US Mariana islands where workers are forced to have abortions and that is just the tip of the iceberg. Thank Ralph Reed and his GOP cohorts lobbying to profit from the blood,sweat and tears off of the economically disadvantged. That my freind is capatalisim at it's worst.

Edited May 11, 2011 by dananderson

[SAffer]

I would be interested to see the profits that KFC make here compared to countries where they actually do pay a fair wage. An earlier post suggested that the cost of buying food from KFC is similar here and in NZ, but wages differ significantly.

I think you will find that the wages they pay in Thailand are 'fair' by Thailand standards.

To anything else would be unnecessary and create a division.

I believe that the profit margins will be a good reflection of the fairness of their wages, because if they are exploiting Thai workers it would result in significantly higher profits than in other countries... indicating unfair practices. If the wages and benefits are fair by Thai standards why are the workers of other restaurant chains not making the same fuss?