Across-The-Board Hike Of 40% Likely Today: Thailand Minimum Wage

[ginjag]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

For you and me is that cheap.But not when you got 300 baht a day.Try one week to live from that.Pay your house rent,maybe motorbike,food,pay fot your children etc.

O.K. suppose 3 wage earners in 1 house (small family in general) round it to 1,000 bht.,,,DAY

! litre 91 - 35bht M/C............rice 50 bht.........whole chicken 70bht.......veg 40 bht.......water (drink) 10bht 2 kids (school) 80 bht..........rent 2000 per month=70bht.......... alcohol/cigs.....100 bht.....MISC 100 bht.

555 Bht per day even if you are buying your new m/cyle--3000 per month 100 bht I make that a grand total of 655 bht per day.....NOT brilliant I know but not destitute. NOT to western standards but we are talking about here. There are some exceptions and we cannot cover all, this is rural day life in ISSAN ................You also have to take into account the vast amount of people who trade=markets-roadside- and also it does not stop these people from getting 2 jobs in 1 day WHY NOT ??? I am not saying at all it is ideal, but its far better than most 3rd world countries.

Take into the percentage of LAZY people --we get them in Europe. Please do not attack me for saying 3rd world -- because apart from city---vast percentage is 3 rd world.

[ginjag]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

For you and me is that cheap.But not when you got 300 baht a day.Try one week to live from that.Pay your house rent,maybe motorbike,food,pay fot your children etc.

O.K. suppose 3 wage earners in 1 house (small family in general) round it to 1,000 bht.,,,DAY

! litre 91 - 35bht M/C............rice 50 bht.........whole chicken 70bht.......veg 40 bht.......water (drink) 10bht 2 kids (school) 80 bht..........rent 2000 per month=70bht.......... alcohol/cigs.....100 bht.....MISC 100 bht.

555 Bht per day even if you are buying your new m/cyle--3000 per month 100 bht I make that a grand total of 655 bht per day.....NOT brilliant I know but not destitute. NOT to western standards but we are talking about here. There are some exceptions and we cannot cover all, this is rural day life in ISSAN ................You also have to take into account the vast amount of people who trade=markets-roadside- and also it does not stop these people from getting 2 jobs in 1 day WHY NOT ??? I am not saying at all it is ideal, but its far better than most 3rd world countries.

Take into the percentage of LAZY people --we get them in Europe. Please do not attack me for saying 3rd world -- because apart from city---vast percentage is 3 rd world.

[Felt 35]

Time for the Government to stop slavery, set the minimum wage at 3x300 a day.

[YellowFeverCAD]

The cost of living in Thailand is very low. That's because and why the wages are very low.

WRONG.. if you live in a hut in the middle of nowhere your costs are low. Living in BKK and living to a level equal to what I did in the West BKK is a lot more expensive a place to live when all costs are taken into account. I don't give a shit if you agree or not I am talking about MY costs and they are much more living here and with a much lower quality of goods AND service. This whole Thailand is so cheap to live lie have really taken on a life of it's own.

[whatsupdoc]

The cost of living in Thailand is very low. That's because and why the wages are very low.

WRONG.. if you live in a hut in the middle of nowhere your costs are low. Living in BKK and living to a level equal to what I did in the West BKK is a lot more expensive a place to live when all costs are taken into account. I don't give a shit if you agree or not I am talking about MY costs and they are much more living here and with a much lower quality of goods AND service. This whole Thailand is so cheap to live lie have really taken on a life of it's own.

And why is YOUR cost of living relevant to the topic at hand?? Nearly everything is cheaper in Thailand than it is in my home country (Western-Europe). The only exceptions would be some luxury imported items.

Of course Thailand is a relatively cheap place to live, I cannot understand how you can claim this to be a lie.

[KNJ]

The picture is bigger than just how much an expat a retiree, or a local can survive on.

50% of Thais are working in agriculture, and as one of Thalands major exports, that will push the costs of those exports up. Its major markets are USA, Japan and europe. Do you beleive they wil not look elsewhere for those products?

Industry, particulary export represents about 50% of GDP, how can they maintain that competitiveness, amogst these include Cars ( yep buy that new one now before they go up ) Electronics, which is already highly competetive with the likes of Malaysia, Singapore, China and Singapore. textiles which they have already lost significant ground to China, Bangladesh and Vietnam.

The increased costs to these products wil have a knock on effect to the ecconomy. The relatively low unemployment rate will rise as manufacturers and buyers look to move to cheaper production countries.

Tourism another huge part of the GDP, currently running at about 7% will suffer. As so many people keep pointing out if you want western standards then it is no longer cheap, and with political uncertainty, loss of image, and now increased prices this will have an affect and despite what TAT say numbers will drop accordingly.

The net result will be a less productive country, loss of jobs and hence GDP, higher unemployment. Inwards investment by foreign companies wil decline as they seek cheaper markets.

Never mind the good news is that the Baht will suffer against themajor currencies. The flip side is that local produced good wil rise accodingly

[qdinthailand]

Hmmm. "Cost of living is very low".. I personally beg to disagree, I find with the exception of some labor charges the cost of practically everything here is higher than it is in the United States, what to speak of nearby places like India, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Bangladesh, etc. Check the cost of cars, trucks, petrol, clothing, and particularly food. Thailand was really a fabulous place 20-30 years ago when I first arrived, but it is not any real bargain any longer. Of course, life in the village where my wife is from, and life here in the city are different stories.

I personally beg to disagree with your statement. I can't afford to live in the U.S.

There, health care is too expensive. Here in Thailand, health care costs the equivalent of your deductible and co-pays - never mind your "insurance" premiums, and never mind they'll find a way to exclude paying for your condition anyway.

In America, you almost have to have a personal auto to get anywhere. In America, a car keeps you warm (in the 4 seasons) and dry. Here in Thailand it's almost never cold, so you don't need it to keep you warm - only dry if you can't deal with warm rain. You can easily use a cheap-to-drive scooter for almost all your needs here. There's no public transportations "system" in the U.S., so you have to have a car to live (unless you live in a large city, and there the cost of living more than offsets the car costs). You can get anywhere in Thailand with combo of train, bus, taxis, tuk-tuks, etc.

And have you seen food prices in the U.S. lately?

ThaiVisa is full of people making the claim that a single person can easily live on $1000 USD a month. I agree with that. But living on $1000 a month in America is a cruel joke.

Thailand is still cheap. Maybe not as cheap as the farang would like, but for a Thai, it's getting very expensive, due to "globalization" - commodities speculation, using corn for ethanol production, crap like that.

Thais deserve a mandated price increase to deal with the situation outside their control.

[nontabury]

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

At a daily wage of 300baht the 800 baht equates to two and two thirds days of work.

We are in case you hadn't noticed not in the West either.

With all due respect I am inclined to think, nay believe that you have little or no contact with Mr. and Mrs. Somchai who make up the average Thai workforce, let alone their lifestyle

I ate out last night at the Penninsula Hotel, 3000 bahts for the buffet for 2 peoples, +1300 bahts for a reasonable red wine, free transport across the river... about the same I pay in New York... what did you eat for 800 bahts.. native cusine no doubt..? Thats ok if its why you came to Thailand... and if your partner is from a poor Thai area.. But if you want to keep some class in your life, Bangkok is not cheap anymore.. only Singapore in Asia is more expensive. But probabaly worth it...

How selfish can people be? you seem to Bragg that you spend 4300bht on a meal,while a short distance away many Thais will be living on that for a whole month,it's people like you that makes me

despair of the human race. you should be ashamed of your attitude.Obviously you're parents failed.

[Mosha]

Okay, they raise the wages for the people who a making the things we need, hence the producers must simultaneously raise the price of their products, hence the net benefit to the workers will be nothing, but the government will certainly increase its revenue as the amount of VAT collected increases, along with all other taxes. It seems people interested in buying votes, do not think these matters through very well. The only net affect will be everything in Thailand becomes more costly, as though the cost of living here is not high enough today.

Another Big effect of this policy will be mass layoffs of workers... and heavier workloads for those stil lucky enough to have a job. One of my friends is now in the process of closing his Bangkok factory and moving to Jakarta.He told me the coming pay rise is the last straw... All good for us remaining Farangs, more bahts to our dollars and more young girls for our bahts as daughters flood to Bangkok to find work in the bars.... Miracle Thailand... Thank you Mr Thaksin...

This is what I've been thinking since the posters went up. You, you, and you here is your 300 Baht. Sorry Somchai, but I can't afford to employ you. How many people doing the laying off will be PTP/Red Shirt symapathisers I wonder.?

[SICHONSTEVE]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

You are right!!! All of the (luxuries for Thai's) are often imports such as cheese, wine, cars, imported vegetables, breakfast cereals etc: they are disproportionately expensive as they have hefty import duties put on them. They do this for a reason and that is to discourage those people from buying them by applying tariffs in the form of protectionism - you know, just as the Americans do with steel and other exporting industries to promote their own products and help their workers in direct (illegal???) subsidies to maintain the affected work forces and disallow competitiveness.

If you just look at normal everyday necessities then Thailand is far cheaper than practically ALL Western countries (with better weather and nicer people, to boot)!!:jap:

[bigbamboo]

The wages of the lower paid in Thailand is something that the government, whichever government, has needed to address for some time. Wages have not kept pace with inflation. But every job has a market value and that is the danger of imposing a minimum wage. Better to have some work than no work at all. Thailand does not offer a low cost of living for most ex pats any more, the banking crisis and exchange rates have seen to that. It has also become a comparatively expensive holiday destination for those who actually spend money when they are here.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Time for the Government to stop slavery, set the minimum wage at 3x300 a day.

I think that 1x 300 baht a day is causing them enough problems, don't you???

[thaiIand]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

you had thai fast food in a semi clean establishement.

If you were to go to a local fast food place in the west and get a few beers with a burgers and onion ring.. or even a pita with kebab(which is closer to the type of thai fastfood you had) it would of cost you around 600-1k baht as well.

You'd see the difference if you understood that a decent restaurant in the west can only compare to a high quality royal thai cuisine restaurant. Thais mostly eat fast food even in those fake fancy places

[bigbamboo]

Of course if you get a good Thai wife who can cook like a dream and you invite a few friends round who will bring the beers (and the 'whisky' of course!) you can have great food and a great night for next to nothing!

Edited October 5, 2011 by bigbamboo

[whybother]

The cost of living in Thailand is very low. That's because and why the wages are very low.

WRONG.. if you live in a hut in the middle of nowhere your costs are low. Living in BKK and living to a level equal to what I did in the West BKK is a lot more expensive a place to live when all costs are taken into account. I don't give a shit if you agree or not I am talking about MY costs and they are much more living here and with a much lower quality of goods AND service. This whole Thailand is so cheap to live lie have really taken on a life of it's own.

If YOUR costs are more here than they are at home, then you are probably living in Sukhumvit, or Silom or somewhere else very central. How would that compare to living in central London, Sydney, New York?

[thaikahuna]

Absolutely ignorant! You mandate wage increases and at the same time lower the social security liability? Make more now, get screwed later when you retire., Teh government is going to lower cost of living and control increases? In what country has that EVER worked?

[Arkady]

They think they can just wave a magic wand and the country will automatically move up the value added ladder. It takes a lot of hard work and long range planning. Singapore did a good job of getting rid of its low wage assembly industries in the 80s but it was all part of an integrated plan to develop higher value added industries to replace them. This involves planning the workforce for knowledge industries years in advance through adequate education and attracting the right type of foreign investment with appropriate incentives, including 100% foreign ownership, easy work permits and residence permits for foreign execs etc. What has Thailand done in this area? Zip.

[kenmackie]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

you had thai fast food in a semi clean establishement.

If you were to go to a local fast food place in the west and get a few beers with a burgers and onion ring.. or even a pita with kebab(which is closer to the type of thai fastfood you had) it would of cost you around 600-1k baht as well.

You'd see the difference if you understood that a decent restaurant in the west can only compare to a high quality royal thai cuisine restaurant. Thais mostly eat fast food even in those fake fancy places

You assume that Thai fast food is not Quality food. My wife and I have a very sucsessful Thai Restaurant and the food is fast and very good

Not Bangkok street vendor prices but .www.thaionthefly.ca

Edited October 5, 2011 by kenmackie

[kimamey]

Employers want the B300 to include overtime. How many hours / day do you have to work to get B300? Pick a number between 10 and 24.

OR sorry, no overtime today, wages reduced proportionately.

And how does reducing SS contributions by 1.5% of salary do much to offset a 40+% salary increase? All it will do is maintain roughly the same contributions to the scheme.

Pay B200 SS @ 5% = B10

Pay B280 SS @ 3.5 % = B9.8

I've said it before on more than one occasion but I'll mention it again. Why isn't the minimum wage based on an hourly rate as it is elsewhere?

I'm sure it makes more sense.

Something else I've just noticed. The headline reads Across-The-Board Hike Of 40% Likely Today: Thailand Minimum Wage but it appears it's not starting until January 1st.

Edited October 5, 2011 by kimamey

[agudbuk]

300 baht a day.

Could someone tell me how many hours that is based on

[Felt 35]

Time for the Government to stop slavery, set the minimum wage at 3x300 a day.

I think that 1x 300 baht a day is causing them enough problems, don't you???

I guess there are some changes they could have done to spread the wealth a bit..... eh

[kimamey]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

you had thai fast food in a semi clean establishement.

If you were to go to a local fast food place in the west and get a few beers with a burgers and onion ring.. or even a pita with kebab(which is closer to the type of thai fastfood you had) it would of cost you around 600-1k baht as well.

You'd see the difference if you understood that a decent restaurant in the west can only compare to a high quality royal thai cuisine restaurant. Thais mostly eat fast food even in those fake fancy places

You assume that Thai fast food is not Quality food. My wife and I have a very sucsessful Thai Restaurant and the food is fast and very good

Not Bangkok street vendor prices but .www.thaionthefly.ca

Thanks for making me hungry.

[MAJIC]

Employers want the B300 to include overtime. How many hours / day do you have to work to get B300? Pick a number between 10 and 24.

OR sorry, no overtime today, wages reduced proportionately.

And how does reducing SS contributions by 1.5% of salary do much to offset a 40+% salary increase? All it will do is maintain roughly the same contributions to the scheme.

Pay B200 SS @ 5% = B10

Pay B280 SS @ 3.5 % = B9.8

I've said it before on more than one occasion but I'll mention it again. Why isn't the minimum wage based on an hourly rate as it is elsewhere?

I'm sure it makes more sense.

Something else I've just noticed. The headline reads Across-The-Board Hike Of 40% Likely Today: Thailand Minimum Wage but it appears it's not starting until January 1st.

The easy answer is: a Barman starts work in a Hotel at 7 am,does his bar stocking up and cleaning duties and prepares to open the Bar at 10 am,works serving in the Bar until the last customer goes to bed at 2 am the next day.

Total hours worked = 19 hours,same pay as working for 12 hours,normal Bar hours.

If he is very lucky he may leave and go home 11 or 12 oclock some nights for the same pay.

The above is a true example,of exploitation by employers,

and that IMO is why they do not pay by the Hour! because it benefits the employer too much.

Edited October 5, 2011 by metisdead
30) Do not modify someone else's post in your quoted reply, either with font or color changes.

[SICHONSTEVE]

Time for the Government to stop slavery, set the minimum wage at 3x300 a day.

I think that 1x 300 baht a day is causing them enough problems, don't you???

I guess there are some changes they could have done to spread the wealth a bit..... eh

Like becoming a Communist state perhaps - great ideals but unworkable, I'm afraid!!!

[inquisitive]

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

At a daily wage of 300baht the 800 baht equates to two and two thirds days of work.

We are in case you hadn't noticed not in the West either.

With all due respect I am inclined to think, nay believe that you have little or no contact with Mr. and Mrs. Somchai who make up the average Thai workforce, let alone their lifestyle

I am not trying to suggest that Mr & Mrs Somchai can afford that. I am making a comparison between the cost of living in Thailand and the west.

You would probably find that someone on minimum wage in the west couldn't go out and have a similar meal there. It would cost much more than $25.

Well, I don't know if either if you really know what you are writing about. A few months ago I had to travel to a part of New York where I previously resided. As a point of comparison, back in the early 90's I did a job in Beverly Hills for a year and rented out a house that was on sale for five million dollars at the time. What I'm saying is that I was clearly staying in the high rent part of Beverly Hills, and BH is clearly one of the most expensive parts of the country. At the time, I was very confused, because after three months in BH I began to comment that it wasn't a very expensive place at all. In fact, except for the cost of water, my bills were nearly identical to what I was paying back in my middle class house in NY. Then it hit me. Duh! Beverly Hills wasn't cheap. Long Island in NY was expensive!

OK, so now I went back to that same expensive place on Long Island to visit a few months ago, but a certain screw-up left me with the possibility that I would completely run out of funds while I was waiting for money to transfer over. So for about ten days I had to live on as absolutely little as I could. Just like, say, someone making minimum wage. Worse yet, I had no cooking facilities, so I had to dine out for every single meal. Get the picture? Not a cheap way to go at all.

So how much DID it cost me? I ate a lot of the dollar meals at McDonalds, Wendys, and other fast food places. I also got grilled chicken at the supermarket, and other such prepared foods. I had yogurt, cereal and fruit for breakfast. I had a couple of meals at Chinese take-out. I skipped Starbucks and Dunkin Donuts. And the bottom line was it cost me way less than six bucks a day to have three filling meals - albeit part being the unhealthy fare Americans call nutritious. I ate for ten full days for less than the $25 that's getting bounced around as the cost of a minimum low-cost meal.

Was it something I'd want to do forever? No way. But I survived without even tapping into the enormous social support systems that are in place in America. I didn't get Meals on Wheels, food stamps, welfare, or any other freebie from Social Services.

Oh, and here's another small point to ponder: I have relatives who come from upcountry to visit me in Bangkok. When they come, they tell me that they don't want Western food, and they don't want Thai food. They want Isaan food. I have to go out every morning and buy them frogs and bugs and other things I wouldn't want to eat regardless of the price. It turns out that you might discover that Mrs. Somchai actually WANTS to eat things that resemble roadkill. Give her a fancy condo in Bangkok and an unlimited budget, and she'll STILL only eat dead varmits. Part of what you're considering a result of minimum wage just isn't.

My overall point in this rant is that there is an awful lot of semi-accusative finger pointing and pontificating going on here by folks who have never been there or done that. Their ideas are well intentioned and the points themselves may be well taken, but virtually all the supporting "evidence" is totally speculative. Kind of like a child giving lessons about sex. And we've all got to keep that in mind as we read these contributions.

[OzMick]

Employers want the B300 to include overtime. How many hours / day do you have to work to get B300? Pick a number between 10 and 24.

OR sorry, no overtime today, wages reduced proportionately.

And how does reducing SS contributions by 1.5% of salary do much to offset a 40+% salary increase? All it will do is maintain roughly the same contributions to the scheme.

Pay B200 SS @ 5% = B10

Pay B280 SS @ 3.5 % = B9.8

I've said it before on more than one occasion but I'll mention it again. Why isn't the minimum wage based on an hourly rate as it is elsewhere?

I'm sure it makes more sense.

Something else I've just noticed. The headline reads Across-The-Board Hike Of 40% Likely Today: Thailand Minimum Wage but it appears it's not starting until January 1st.

The easy answer is: a Barman starts work in a Hotel at 7 am,does his bar stocking up and cleaning duties and prepares to open the Bar at 10 am,works serving in the Bar until the last customer goes to bed at 2 am the next day.

Total hours worked = 19 hours,same pay as working for 12 hours,normal Bar hours.

If he is very lucky he may leave and go home 11 or 12 oclock some nights for the same pay.

The above is a true example,of exploitation by employers,

and that IMO is why they do not pay by the Hour! because it benefits the employer too much.

Be a little realistic please. Are you saying that he will back at work 5 hours later? Most Thais seem to work a 60 hour week, in my experience. Shifts tend to vary in length, and are sometimes split, but longer shifts usually are balanced by more time off.

My neighbour works at a Samui resort, and sometimes has extra hours to meet a late flight, but gets time off to match the next day - they do not pay overtime.

Receptionists at the Pink Lady Hotel, Had Yai work 5 x 12 hour shifts, rotate through day and night.

My g/f worked at a non-girly expat bar - 2 girls starting 1 at 1500, the other at 1800 for 6 x 8 hr shifts per week. They rotated the early start/finish, 1 day off/week where the other girl worked alone.

[Lifer]

Okay, they raise the wages for the people who a making the things we need, hence the producers must simultaneously raise the price of their products, hence the net benefit to the workers will be nothing, but the government will certainly increase its revenue as the amount of VAT collected increases, along with all other taxes. It seems people interested in buying votes, do not think these matters through very well. The only net affect will be everything in Thailand becomes more costly, as though the cost of living here is not high enough today.

Actually, in these economic times, give the workers more wages, increase product prices to cover product cost, including wages and operating expenses, sell less, lay off workers. Same thing happens at Boeing. Bad times, orders cancelled, skilled workers laid off. Later when orders increase, workers hired back, and on it goes.

[serenitynow]

Low compared to what, North Korea? It's only low when you're low end, such as mediocre housing rental or dining out noodles on the street, but for anything of substance, such as quality food & wines, car imports, or mortgages and loans for vehicles, proper internet, it is the same, if not more, than the West. I agree with the post above yours, although those buying votes are clever as they know full well the masses are too stoopid to know what they're buying into.

Eating noodles off the street makes it extremely cheap, but even eating in restaurants is relatively cheap. Ofcourse, if you're wanting to eat imported foods, then you have to pay for that, but that's mostly due to import taxes.

I have proper internet here costing me 640 baht. It would cost me twice that in Aus.

I ate out last night at a reasonable restaurant - 800 baht for 2 people, including some beers. You wouldn't get that in the west.

you had thai fast food in a semi clean establishement.

If you were to go to a local fast food place in the west and get a few beers with a burgers and onion ring.. or even a pita with kebab(which is closer to the type of thai fastfood you had) it would of cost you around 600-1k baht as well. Or do you do it the Thai way, whereby you take a look at the customer and name the highest price you think you can get away with?

You'd see the difference if you understood that a decent restaurant in the west can only compare to a high quality royal thai cuisine restaurant. Thais mostly eat fast food even in those fake fancy places

You assume that Thai fast food is not Quality food. My wife and I have a very sucsessful Thai Restaurant and the food is fast and very good

Not Bangkok street vendor prices but .www.thaionthefly.ca

Those are the first menus I've ever seen without prices listed. Do your customers not seem to care or do you make them inquire as to the price of each and every dish?

Edited October 5, 2011 by serenitynow

[Felt 35]

Time for the Government to stop slavery, set the minimum wage at 3x300 a day.

I think that 1x 300 baht a day is causing them enough problems, don't you???

I guess there are some changes they could have done to spread the wealth a bit..... eh

Like becoming a Communist state perhaps - great ideals but unworkable, I'm afraid!!!

Whatever you call it. Even this corrupt empire can’t soon stand the masses. The world is watching and sided with they who have the least.

[ozzydom]

Hmmm. "Cost of living is very low".. I personally beg to disagree, I find with the exception of some labor charges the cost of practically everything here is higher than it is in the United States, what to speak of nearby places like India, Cambodia, Laos, Vietnam, Burma, Bangladesh, etc. Check the cost of cars, trucks, petrol, clothing, and particularly food. Thailand was really a fabulous place 20-30 years ago when I first arrived, but it is not any real bargain any longer. Of course, life in the village where my wife is from, and life here in the city are different stories.

Totally incorrect, Thailand was not designed for foreigners (except for sukhumvit) Thailand is designed for Thais and priced accordingly. There's a Thailand outside of BKK while overpriced western amenities arent the standard for Thais, and why should it be? There are products which are every bit as good as the overpriced objects you are eluding to being overpriced, youre simply a victim of English speaking marketing tactics engineered to extract money from you by design.

I've been to Cambodia, and its very clear that you have never been there. Cambodia is much much more expensive than Thailand, a bowl of street noodles is literally 2-3 times as much, bottle of Johnny $100 in a club, company for the night same price. Cambodia is an overpriced shithole that was booming and drove up prices, while a small group reaped the benefits.

The Cambodia you go to is certainly expensive,but in the Cambodia I spend 50% of my time in

street doo doo 3000 riel (75 cents)JW Black $25 at bottle shops ,short time companion $10 ,all night $20.A great place full of nice people.