Wage Hike Will Begin In Only 7 Thai Provinces

[webfact]

PRE-POLL PROMISES

Wage hike will begin in only 7 provinces

By THE NATION

Labour committee warns if it's not implemented across country, it could be public deception

The Pheu Thai-led government risks raising the ire of blue-collar workers by lifting the minimum wage to Bt300 next year in just seven provinces, not at once across the whole country.

"The immediate hike in the minimum daily wage across the country was a highlight of the Pheu Thai Party's election campaign," Wilaiwan sae Tia, vice president of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC), said yesterday.

"If the Pheu Thai Party fails to keep its word, its empty promise may be considered public deception. We will consult with legal experts and academics about the issue," he said.

Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap said the party's hallmark policy would be implemented first in Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom, Nonthaburi and Phuket.

More than three million workers are expected to benefit.

Somkiat Chayasriwong, permanent secretary of the ministry, said the plan was possible because the current wage rate in those provinces is now quite close to Bt300, so employers should not be too bothered.

In Phuket it is Bt221 and in the other provinces Bt215.

All parties must discuss the issue with the Central Wage Committee in the middle of the month before coming to any conclusion, he said.

"I think things should become clear by October. We hope to see the new wage take effect on January 1," he said.

The minimum wage in other provinces may rise by 40 per cent first and to Bt300 later, he added.

TLSC is not happy about this, though.

TLSC president Chalee Loysoong said all workers around the country were suffering from the rising cost of living and deserved a similar wage.

In Phayao, the rate is just Bt159.

On Monday, Chalee would present information on inflation, workers' income and household expenses at a press conference to make clear why the Bt300 wage should be applied to all workers.

On September 14, the Central Wage Committee will meet to discuss the wage-hike plans.

Pannapong It-atthanon, who sits on the committee as a representative of employers, said small businesses would incur severe problems dealing with the government's move.

"If the government takes sides with workers, it will be hard for us to do anything. The representatives of employers may walk out the first time the Central Wage Committee considers this issue but our boycott won't mean anything when the committee picks up the issue again.

"Our walkout for the second time won't affect the quorum," he said.

Now, employers could only pin their hopes on the representatives from the Finance Ministry, National Economic and Social Development Board and Commerce Ministry, who should recognise the ramifications of the big jump in minimum wages, he added.

Somkiat said the government would consider remedial assistance for those employers experiencing the greatest difficulties.

"The labour minister will hold discussions on the measures with Deputy Prime Minister Kittiratt na Ranong and Commerce Minister Thirachai Phuvanatnaranubala late this week," he said.

Yongyuth Chalamwong, director of labour research at the Thailand Development Research Institute, said the government might use tax relief to cushion the blow to employers.

-- The Nation 2011-09-01

[endure]

What else did you expect? You elect clowns - you get red noses

[Buchholz]

Labour committee warns if it's not implemented across country, it could be public deception

Considering this and the assorted "unravelings" described in the thread,

Poll Says Government Policies Are Unraveling

are ANY of the Pheu Thai Party's policies living up to what was promised?

They are all getting scaled back, modified, "put on hold", revised, or scrapped.

.

[jalansanitwong]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

[Buchholz]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

Undoubtedly, she is.

In just one solitary transaction she netted nearly that much.

When the family sold its flagship Shin Corp. to Singapore’s Temasek Holdings Pte for 73 billion baht ($2.4 billion) in 2006, Yingluck netted 985 million baht.

Bloomberg BusinessWeek - June 16, 2011

http://www.businessweek.com/news/2011-06-16/thaksin-looms-in-thai-vote-as-yingluck-lead-deters-investors.html

.

Edited September 1, 2011 by Buchholz

[Buchholz]

Relative to the above reminds, however, that she has 30 days after taking office to produce her completed asset declaration statement, so it'll be interesting to see exactly what she specifically says is her worth.

She'll also have to produce the same documentation for her husband and her son.

30 days is fast approaching.

.

[scorecard]

Relative to the above reminds, however, that she has 30 days after taking office to produce her completed asset declaration statement, so it'll be interesting to see exactly what she specifically says is her worth.

She'll also have to produce the same documentation for her husband and her son.

30 days is fast approaching.

.

Not a problem, she'll just change the appropriate regulation the day before the deadline. And she can say that there is a precedent to reversing laws etc.,therefore it's OK.

[otherstuff1957]

So, how many more people are going to leave their villages & come to Bangkok now?

Expect your rent to skyrocket if you live in one of those 7 provinces.

[ginjag]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

Going down very badly in Issan, All the sacrifices all the trips to protest in BKK, all the cheering has nearly died away now that the Family has used them to gain control.

The hopes of these lost souls in Issan loyal to the end ==END UP GETTING sod all..........

The powers that be now have what they wanted all along--POWER to achieve that and how do they care---NO

[Who, me ?]

Liars

[OzMick]

Oh what a tangled web we weave......................

[bushwacker]

I would have thought Chiang-mai would be on the list!?

[Buchholz]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

Going down very badly in Issan, All the sacrifices all the trips to protest in BKK, all the cheering has nearly died away now that the Family has used them to gain control.

The hopes of these lost souls in Issan loyal to the end ==END UP GETTING sod all..........

The powers that be now have what they wanted all along--POWER to achieve that and how do they care---NO

Speaking of not going down easy in Issan, is the news that the PTP MP's of Issan are thoroughly ticked off that so many of the "political officers" selected this week are Red Shirts.

They are disgruntled that more of the "rewards" didn't go to Issanites and instead were given to outsiders.

Details in the other paper.

[jimbeam1]

JOKE

jb1

[lannarebirth]

I would have thought Chiang-mai would be on the list!?

They can already be counted on to vote Phuea Thai so why do them any favors. Also they have more than the average number of goons to convince the people to enjoy their shit sandwich should they ever get out of line.

[moe666]

So far So good, closer and closer to the real agenda

[Insight]

So far So good, closer and closer to the real agenda

I do like your posts

[ginjag]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

Going down very badly in Issan, All the sacrifices all the trips to protest in BKK, all the cheering has nearly died away now that the Family has used them to gain control.

The hopes of these lost souls in Issan loyal to the end ==END UP GETTING sod all..........

The powers that be now have what they wanted all along--POWER to achieve that and how do they care---NO

Speaking of not going down easy in Issan, is the news that the PTP MP's of Issan are thoroughly ticked off that so many of the "political officers" selected this week are Red Shirts.

They are disgruntled that more of the "rewards" didn't go to Issanites and instead were given to outsiders.

Details in the other paper.

The party-the red shirt leaders-the rest of the top bracket, are a different league to the Issan people, Issan people are USED en mass for the monetary benefits of the rest. SOOOOOOOOO easy led. ( as the saying goes-(( a mars bar and a threepenny bit and they are anybody's ))

[chooka]

So I guess the same old thing will be happening. People will still be moving from the poor provinces to places like Bangkok, Pattaya and Phuket looking to earn a living. Higher wages would mean less positions so I guess a lot more will enter the sex industry. Means more competion and better bargains for the sex tourists.

[kraplung]

How ironic that Thaksin's supporters will be less likely to benefit than those who didn't vote for him.

[Pib]

They picked 7 out of more than 70 provinces that just happened to have daily incomes already approaching a whopping 300 b/day. And thats in 2012. Isan will get nothing out of this wage promise. Yingluck will probably be gone before they get a rise. Billionaire isnt she ?

OK the goal is to get "all" minimum wage workers to 300 baht, right? Although in the real world they are going to probably end up doing it in stages.

Seems it might be more fair to first provide the raise to those people in the other 70 or so provinces which make lower wages up to the wages currently received in the higher paid 7 provinces. OK, we at least now have all minimum wage workers in the country at the same level. Then in the next stage(s) take all provinces up at the same time. But of course the 7 provinces not getting a would screen murder.

I know the article mentioned they "may" provide a 40% raise to those other 70 province when taking the other 7 provinces to 300 baht. A 40% raise would bring those 70 other provinces up to where the other 7 provinces are right now; however it is still far short of 300 baht....those folks will be mad they did not reach the 300 baht point at the same time as the folks in the other 7 provinces.

Damned if you do; damned if you don't. Between a rock and hard place. Will be interesting in what the govt finally decides as many approaches/ways exist as to how much and when the hike would occur.

[drdoom6996]

Maybe her brother was Obama?????????????

[hyperdimension]

I was wondering, did Pheu Thai ever define the number of hours in one work day? Different people work different numbers of hours per day, so when they say "300 THB per day", exactly how many hours is that? One day is technically equivalent to 24 hours.

[otherstuff1957]

In the US and, to a lesser extent, in the UK, most politicians are lawyers. Here, it seems that most politicians are business people. Raising the wages in Issan or the North would be hitting their own MPs right in the wallet. From a political viewpoint, it makes much more sense to raise wages in the provinces that DIDN"T vote PT.

[ratcatcher]

Oh what a tangled web we weave......................

I'm anxiously waiting for gk to come to the defense of this flying circus known as PTP.

Promise a feast, deliver peanuts. Typical.

"It may be true that you can't fool all the people all the time, but you can fool enough of them to rule a large country."

Will Durant

[overherebc]

I was wondering, did Pheu Thai ever define the number of hours in one work day? Different people work different numbers of hours per day, so when they say "300 THB per day", exactly how many hours is that? One day is technically equivalent to 24 hours.

Why would you want to bring some kind of logic into it T.I.T.

[livinthailandos]

maybe its just me but i'm seeing a repeat after repeat process of this issue in my humble opinion nobody really in the PTP fraction seems to have any clue on this issue

1. I've heard the wage hike be retracted,

2. then I read they said bangkok only,

3. then changed again maybe only bangkok and phuket,

4. then changed again it might put in place maybe over 3 - 4 years over a slow rise.

5. Then I read it was just a campaign promise

6. Then this statement

etc the list will go on and on. Its so nice to see a real lack of any actual planning on this issue. I'm not even sure if this government will last long enough to make anything happen. who knows.

[Ricardo]

There may shortly be a mass-outbreak, of 'pants-on-fire', amongst sitting PTP-MPs !

[hyperdimension]

Maybe their next statement will be that when they said "300 THB per day" they meant 300 THB per 24h of work. So if someone only works for 12h in one day, they'll only earn 150 THB for that day.

[tpthai2]

"[The masses] have never thirsted after truth. They demand illusions, and cannot do without them. They constantly give what is unreal precedence over what is real; they are almost as strongly influenced by what is untrue as by what is true. They have an evident tendency to not distinguish between the two."

-Sigmund Freud