More Than 24,000 Thai Workers To Get Bt300 Daily Wage

[webfact]

More than 24,000 workers to get Bt300 daily wage

The Nation

The board of State Enterprises Workers' Relation Confederation yesterday approved the payment of the flat Bt300 daily minimum wage to more than 24,000 workers from today onwards.

This means that an additional Bt23.9 million would be spent on the daily wages of 24,419 qualified recipients, Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap said in his capacity as the board's chairman. The Cabinet will endorse this payment next Tuesday.

Labour Ministry's permanent secretary Somkiat Chayasriwong said the Bt300 daily wage would be paid in 50 provinces from January 1 as a result of initial approvals by provincial wage tripartite committees. The approvals will be presented to the central wage tripartite committee by next Wednesday for a final endorsement.

Meanwhile, a Bangkok seminar was told that bigtime human traffickers who kept smuggling immigrant workers into Thailand had never been arrested because they paid off corrupt officials.

"Around 600,000 workers are arrested, deported and again smuggled into Thailand, but the authorities never arrest the traffickers because they know each other," Suraphong Kongjanthuek, an official from the Lawyers Council of Thailand, said.

Citing a study conducted by the council, he said migrant workers were required to pay traffickers up to Bt20,000 every time they enter Thailand, and nearly all of them are asked for anything between Bt500 and Bt10,000 by corrupt police officers.

He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before. Meanwhile, businesses that pay low wages at the workers' consent should move out of Thailand, he said.

Somphong Sakaew, director of the Labour Rights Promotion Network, said migrant workers had complained to him that corrupt officials wanted up to Bt15,000 in exchange for dropping wrongful charges of illegal gambling, or returning their properties or passports. Even though more than 1 million migrant workers had registered after the latest deadline, up to 4 million are still unregistered, he said.

-- The Nation 2011-10-01

[nong38]

I think a lot people are going to find that they are not among the favoured 24,000 and are going to ask where is my 300bt a day you promised?

[apetley]

Only another 40 million to go!

[whybother]

What are the qualifications for this 24,000? How many will get paid the 300 baht on January 1 when it is paid in 50 provinces? What about the other provinces?

aaarrrrggghhhhhh ... reporters in this country are useless!!!!

[elgato]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

[OzMick]

24,000 "qualified" workers will be paid B300/d - so what did they have to do to be "qualified"?

If B24 million is being spent on 24,000 workers, then they are getting an extra B1,000/day? Or B40/day over a 25 day month, which means they were already on B260/day? Which part of Thailand had a B260 Minimum wage?

Why would anyone pay extra today for a wage rise not yet approved? Might have to change the Labour Minister's name to Wimpy "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today".

Edited October 1, 2011 by OzMick

[ginjag]

I think a lot people are going to find that they are not among the favoured 24,000 and are going to ask where is my 300bt a day you promised?

The police may qualify ????................................the 24,000 is hell of a chunk of the populations work force. All 7-11 staff have 2 jobs...........police work and store operators, where as the police cannot do either. So now we only have 24,000,000 to satisfy now ???

[uptheos]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

I thought that most of these jobs were 'banned' occupations for foreigners?

Edited October 1, 2011 by metisdead
Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes.

[Bakseedaa]

24,000 "qualified" workers will be paid B300/d - so what did they have to do to be "qualified"?

If B24 million is being spent on 24,000 workers, then they are getting an extra B1,000/day? Or B40/day over a 25 day month, which means they were already on B260/day? Which part of Thailand had a B260 Minimum wage?

Why would anyone pay extra today for a wage rise not yet approved? Might have to change the Labour Minister's name to Wimpy "I'll gladly pay you Tuesday for a hamburger today".

Mick, you will find that the said 24000 workers are already on over 300 bahts per day and this is just another whitewash... its just that they are skilled and their employers pay them over 300 per day to keep them , but their contracts state a minimum of less... Its therefore no loss for these employers to say they will up the wage... as they already pay it... Its all <deleted> and what is 24000, just a drop in the ocean.. stupid is as stupid does..............

[scotbeve]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

I thought that most of these jobs were 'banned' occupations for foreigners?

The burmese get a yellow work permit card at their particular district office and the employer has to put up a 50K baht bond. The employer is also responsible for their medical situations and housing. They can not leave that district as well. They are not illegals anymore at that point.

[sprq]

BBC radio news today said that the UK minimum wage today goes up to six pounds eight pence per hour for those over 20.

Meanwhile in Thailand, the exact same sum (300 baht is just over six pounds) is to be the minimum wage per day.

So, assuming an eight-hour working day, basic wage Brits earn eight times more than basic wage Thais (officially, many won't get it). Yet the cost of living in Britain is only about three times more than in Thailand (my guess).

Food for thought.

[LJW]

Who are the 24,000 to be paid 300 baht per day?A better question is, Which folks will not get the 300 baht per day?

[MAJIC]

24,000 to get the minimum wage per day,and no mention when the 10s of Millions of workers will get theirs?

Just another token gesture from PTP,so they can claim to have implemented the Election Promise.

Wonder how long it will be,before the Millions of workers realise,that they are not included

[iono]

Seriously this confused me.."at the workers consent," so if someone says no problem I will work for 200 baht a day...my business is bad and should move out of the country even if I'm employing up to 10 workers a day? Sure no problem adios amigo...makes no sense

"Meanwhile, businesses that pay low wages at the workers' consent should move out of Thailand, he said."

[whybother]

Seriously this confused me.."at the workers consent," so if someone says no problem I will work for 200 baht a day...my business is bad and should move out of the country even if I'm employing up to 10 workers a day? Sure no problem adios amigo...makes no sense

"Meanwhile, businesses that pay low wages at the workers' consent should move out of Thailand, he said."

When the employer says "200 baht or no job", the worker consents.

[lannarebirth]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

Yeah, it does sound bizarre, but I happen to agree with the sentiment. In 3 years time, any worker from anywhere in SE Asia may move to any other ASEAN country to seek work legally, in competition with the local labor force. In my estimation Thai workers are SO unskilled and SO reticent to upgrade their skills that they will be devastated when this change comes. Better they start competing now.

[TAWP]

BBC radio news today said that the UK minimum wage today goes up to six pounds eight pence per hour for those over 20.

Meanwhile in Thailand, the exact same sum (300 baht is just over six pounds) is to be the minimum wage per day.

So, assuming an eight-hour working day, basic wage Brits earn eight times more than basic wage Thais (officially, many won't get it). Yet the cost of living in Britain is only about three times more than in Thailand (my guess).

Food for thought.

You are counting 3:1 if you are comparing western living, not Thai living.

And surviving is about eating and having house over the head, not a big screen tv, computer and old car...

[otherstuff1957]

It's hard to tell from reading the article, but I believe that the 24,000 workers are employees of the Government or of State Enterprises, like PTT or EGAT. The government has already said that they cannot make private companies increase their wages!!

The 500 gorilla in the room that no-one is mentioning is the Tripartite Commission. This is the body that sets minimum wages for each province. Either the government just dissolves this commission, or else they have to convince the Tripartite Commission to go along with their campaign promise.

[khaowong1]

I think a lot people are going to find that they are not among the favoured 24,000 and are going to ask where is my 300bt a day you promised?

Yes, I think you are correct. Did the article say who was the favored 24,000? Surely couldn't have been relatives of the current MP's could it?

[wintermute]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

Yeah, it does sound bizarre, but I happen to agree with the sentiment. In 3 years time, any worker from anywhere in SE Asia may move to any other ASEAN country to seek work legally, in competition with the local labor force. In my estimation Thai workers are SO unskilled and SO reticent to upgrade their skills that they will be devastated when this change comes. Better they start competing now.

I can guarantee you this will never happen or Thailand will create a whole bureaucratic maze of laws to circumvent it.

[scotbeve]

"He said immigrant workers should also be paid the Bt300 minimum wage, because this will encourage Thai workers to do jobs they were refusing to do before."

Yeah, it does sound bizarre, but I happen to agree with the sentiment. In 3 years time, any worker from anywhere in SE Asia may move to any other ASEAN country to seek work legally, in competition with the local labor force. In my estimation Thai workers are SO unskilled and SO reticent to upgrade their skills that they will be devastated when this change comes. Better they start competing now.

Lannarebirth,

Too true and sad. You get the occasional keen worker - either unskilled or semi-skilled, but it's rare. The question is, Do the majority of the work force understand the implications of the ASEAN policies being brought forth? I hope they are not a day late and a dollar short with this....