Minimum Wage Should Be Bt500, Dhanin Says

[Mitker]

CP conglomerate enjoys a near-monopoly position on a large series of consumer products.

Calling for higher wages in the sector when you are the leader will hit your competitors (lower profitability with similar process) harder than you and may reinforce your position in the long run.

If this is the reason, we are far from the big heart humanism we may see in it.

[h90]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Can you buy a meal in a restaurant in UK for 20-30 Baht?

[baboon]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Can you buy a meal in a restaurant in UK for 20-30 Baht?

30 Baht buys you a bite to eat, not a meal.

[smedly]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Can you buy a meal in a restaurant in UK for 20-30 Baht?

30 Baht buys you a bite to eat, not a meal.

Boater - sorry to say but you are talking pure <deleted>, there are two types of consumers here - Thais and falangs - you are treating them as the same, Tesco is a falang orintated shop same as foodland, you may get a few wealthy Thais shopping there but generally they are either falangs or Thais doing falang shopping, Thais do their food shopping at the local markets mostly where it is a fraction of the price, you and me might want to buy apples oranges baked beans potatoes HP sauce salad cream etc which are expensive here, they are not generally on a Thai shopping list.

and for a Thai 30baht will get you an eat out meal - it doesn't go too far in Rosy O'Grady's or the like.

Why is a baht taxi so cheap - because Thais use them as well - trust me if it was falang only transport you'd be paying 10x times that, in fact as it is falangs pay 100% more than Thais at least they used too.

This wage promise was a voting bribe pure and simple - but in the long term it will destroy this country

[MaiChai]

Thai farmers remain poor because Thai governments champion the businesses they foster? You can read this as meaning getting into government means you can give you business interests favourable focus as well as making other business interests? Government here is not about running the country.

Disagree with the business model promoted by smedly; Tescos and other supermarkets are for all consumers in Thailand. Thai consumers are not necessarily poor and 99% of people visiting a supermarket will be Thais.

Minimum wages should be there to support a basic level of income and stop workers being exploited (well they are anyway but not to the extreme extent they could be). Minimum wage needs to also be affordable by business and support the lowest paid jobs. Thus you cannot expect factory workers to be earning a salary an educated professional would earn (eg lawyer/accountant/etc). It is also true that the cost of living in the capital is not equivalent to the countryside. Maybe 500 baht is fair for Bangkok and 300 baht outside Bangkok?

Edited January 22, 2012 by MaiChai

[rheinwiese]

CP conglomerate enjoys a near-monopoly position on a large series of consumer products.

Calling for higher wages in the sector when you are the leader will hit your competitors (lower profitability with similar process) harder than you and may reinforce your position in the long run.

If this is the reason, we are far from the big heart humanism we may see in it.

Finally somebody get's the drift. Thanks

[kropotkin]

1.000 a day - after tax - sounds reasonable to me, taking into account the thai work ethics.

[kropotkin]

_{edit: 1.000 a day, 30 days to a month, working 5 days a week,, plus half month for summer holidays and half momth for new year}

_{and health insurance / social security included.}

[TAWP]

Yes true, but pizza cost 600 baht which is 2 days work. Must they always have noodle? Do you have a link to show starting salaries of these companies for college grads?

Pizza here is expensive, I don't eat it too often when local food [even really good one we make ourselves] are much better priced.

I propose we raise the minimum salary to 2000baht/day. Surely there could be no negative effects from that? That is what some are seemingly claiming...

[kropotkin]

Yes true, but pizza cost 600 baht which is 2 days work. Must they always have noodle? Do you have a link to show starting salaries of these companies for college grads?

Pizza here is expensive, I don't eat it too often when local food [even really good one we make ourselves] are much better priced.

I propose we raise the minimum salary to 2000baht/day. Surely there could be no negative effects from that? That is what some are seemingly claiming...

Hello.

Here is 'some'.

I said 1.000 ---- not 2.000.

But you are quite welcome to come and work for me.

You will not be baking pizza though, i can do that myself, and good too, you will be working in the hot humid outdoors.

PM me.

[TAWP]

Yes true, but pizza cost 600 baht which is 2 days work. Must they always have noodle? Do you have a link to show starting salaries of these companies for college grads?

Pizza here is expensive, I don't eat it too often when local food [even really good one we make ourselves] are much better priced.

I propose we raise the minimum salary to 2000baht/day. Surely there could be no negative effects from that? That is what some are seemingly claiming...

Hello.

Here is 'some'.

I said 1.000 ---- not 2.000.

But you are quite welcome to come and work for me.

You will not be baking pizza though, i can do that myself, and good too, you will be working in the hot humid outdoors.

PM me.

I have a job - but I know of many maids that would like that kind of salary. Not saying they deserve it, but they would like it.

[h90]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Can you buy a meal in a restaurant in UK for 20-30 Baht?

30 Baht buys you a bite to eat, not a meal.

Here in Bangkok, when the floods left I regularly ate at 20 Baht, which was good, but small and not much meat.

It was neither a big pizza, nor a 500 Gramm TBone Steak.

Just a simple Thai meal from the lower end. One is small, but if I eat 2 I am over full.

20 Baht include the packing and a plastic spoon.

The flats my staff rent are 1200 Baht per month. Nice bungalow on the beach with Aircon is 500 Baht and 5-6 people can stay inside. Cooking allowed.

[hellodolly]

F.Y.I., Taksin was walking the evening market in Luang Prabang on the 19 of Jan. and was still there yesterday. Maybe a plan to reunite Isaan and Lao?

Wwith him as the undisputed King.

[tlansford]

I wish someone would give me 500 bts a day! Where do I apply?

Any dive base on Koh Tao, but you have to be a DM (divemaster)

[harrry]

As the minimum wage is a minimum, not a prescriptive wage may we assume he is paying all of his employees more than that already.

[tlansford]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Comparing wages in Thailand to those of the western world is beyond pointless, but a very common mistake.

If your UK colleague is a smoker he's paying 10,000 baht a month for that habit, for example. Yes I know somebody on 5,000 a month is unlikely to be spending 1,800 a month on a pack a day so it's another pointless example - but you get my drift - 1,800 vs 10,000. He might be paying another 10,000 a month just for the bus fare to/from work and he's certanly not going to find many meals for 30 baht.

I do agree that 5000 baht a month would be very difficult to live on even in Thailand, but don't make the mistake of comparing it to anything outside of Thailand.

100% correct, it's amazing just how foolish people are posting on this thread, seriously if you don't understand then don't bother offering an opinion it just makes you look like a fool, this minimum wage will have many many effects on Thailand most of which will be negative for most people.

It will fuel hyper inflation

It will fuel Tax increases

It will drive the lower paid or out of work into extreme poverty in a country where there is no welfare

It will drive unemployment up as foreign companies move their operations elseware

It will drive tourism down as Thailand becomes too expensive

It will increase crime rates from the lower paid extreme poverty group/population

Government Debt will inrease out of control

This country is heading for disaster

you're joking, right? This disaster scenario will result from a 300B minimum wage? Really?

To say "it will ..." based solely on your opinion/bias is hardly a basis for discussion, so I am *not* going to ask you to elaborate on why each of your predictions will come true because some of the lowest paid workers in Thailand will make 60 B / day more in a couple of months.

[Buchholz]

The Yingluck government is planning to boost the minimum wage to Bt300 per day nationwide to implement the ruling Pheu Thai Party's election pledge.

For the sake of accuracy, the Yingluck government is planning to boost the minimum wage to Bt300 per day nationwide.... in 2015.... to implement the ruling Pheu Thai Party's election pledge... of 2010.

.

Edited January 22, 2012 by Buchholz

[tlansford]

interesting that people take jabs at the man proposing this ...

The annual reports are available here :

http://www.cpfworldwide.com/cpd/en/page/ir/download_annual_report.html

At first glance, the company does promote good core values that are reflected in his statements regarding the minimum wage.

For some posters who don't support a higher minimum wage, I wonder if they disagree with the quote from Dhanin "Labourers are not slaves" ?

There is also a difference between saying "this job is not worth 300B/day" and saying "this person's work is not worth 300B/day".

The former is a policy issue, and I cannot think of a job in Thailand that should not pay at least 300B/day, but I am open to hear suggestions.

The latter is an HR problem which would be the case, for example, if someone comes to work and does nothing. The second issue is not related to the actual pay level, just to the performance at that pay level.

[thaicbr]

interesting that people take jabs at the man proposing this ...

The annual reports are available here :

http://www.cpfworldw...ual_report.html

At first glance, the company does promote good core values that are reflected in his statements regarding the minimum wage.

For some posters who don't support a higher minimum wage, I wonder if they disagree with the quote from Dhanin "Labourers are not slaves" ?

There is also a difference between saying "this job is not worth 300B/day" and saying "this person's work is not worth 300B/day".

The former is a policy issue, and I cannot think of a job in Thailand that should not pay at least 300B/day, but I am open to hear suggestions.

The latter is an HR problem which would be the case, for example, if someone comes to work and does nothing. The second issue is not related to the actual pay level, just to the performance at that pay level.

"Labourers are not slaves"

I have a friend who works for the CP chicken factory in Chonburi. she gets 7,500b for 6 days a week 8 hours a day job. so below even the 300b magic mark.

BUT she enjoys it and says it's easy only being 8 hours

Her accommodation which is on the factory grounds is 400b per month (shared with her sister) + water and electric. She can not stay away from the accommodation at night during the working week or she will be reported and possible lose it.

This is a GOOD job for those with minimal education. (funny enough she speaks and understands English far better than most of my high school students)

So pretty normal stuff that could be expected from any large national /multi national company. nothing more nothing less.

[FOODLOVER]

Yes true, but pizza cost 600 baht which is 2 days work. Must they always have noodle? Do you have a link to show starting salaries of these companies for college grads?

Pizza here is expensive, I don't eat it too often when local food [even really good one we make ourselves] are much better priced.

I propose we raise the minimum salary to 2000baht/day. Surely there could be no negative effects from that? That is what some are seemingly claiming...

Yes, at that rate they could afford extra pepperoni and fresh mozzarella.

[JulesMad]

IMHO 500 THB a day is complete madness! I know quite a few farang that would love to have 500 THB a day! IF this 500 THB would become the minimum in Thailand, ALL wages would go up. There would a lot of unemployment, as many people (thai and farang) could not afford to hire personel, so all prices would go etc etc.

In the end it would create a situation that everything would be so much more expensive that the buying power of 500THB would be the same as the buying power of, let's say, 200 THB now... same same, only the baht would be worthless!

Very bad idea!!!

[Roj]

The government is proposing a minimum salary of 15000 baht a month for new graduates. Maybe some do start at 50000 a month as suggested by one poster but I have yet to meet one and one earning that at my wife`s company would have a number of years and a couple of promotions under their belt.

[janverbeem]

So I may assume that everyone working at CPP earns at least 500 Baht a day then?

[WarpSpeed]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

With noodle costing only 25 Baht a meal, 300 Baht a day is already too muct for the Thai people.

So they should be paid just enough to subsist, and not one single baht more?

That's what minimum wage is. Get a roommate. Share stuff. Nobody needs a mobile phone, computer, tv, etc.

With comments like this, I wish you'd take "USA" out of your nik...

[whybother]

The Yingluck government is planning to boost the minimum wage to Bt300 per day nationwide to implement the ruling Pheu Thai Party's election pledge.

For the sake of accuracy, the Yingluck government is planning to boost the minimum wage to Bt300 per day nationwide.... in 2015.... to implement the ruling Pheu Thai Party's election pledge... of 2010.

They did also promise to get it to 1,000 baht per day by 2020.

Don't hold your breath for that one.

[sparebox2]

B500 a day wages will have factories moving out of the country at record rates. In fact B300 a day will make lots of working for transport in moving factory equipment. I am not saying it is too high, I am saying other countries are cheaper so thats where business will go.

Agreed, but so what?

Singapore used to say the same. Wages too high, business goes else where. They did (the business), but Singaporean are still fully employed. So what?

For an example. 30 years ago Singapore was a big ship building hub. Wages go up, now no ship is being build in Singapore (too costly). Singapore go bust? No. Now they build oil rig instead.

Edited January 22, 2012 by sparebox2

[chops]

why dont all the people who complain about the higher wage hike trying living on 240/300 THB a day, including paying bills !, christ it would be stretch to live on 500 THB a day !, in the western world the min wage is around 250THB AN HOUR !, and most people cannot live off that, yet apart from accomdation , most things in thailand cost the same as the west, and companies in thailand EARN the same as the west !, IE tesco, cashier in thailand gets 5,000 THB a month odd, yet in the UK they get 50,000 THB, yet both thailand and the UK make the same profit margins on goods sold? , but thailand is more profitable as they dont pay high wage

Big difference.

~Thais pay no taxes on that.

~Prices are far cheaper in Thailand for the basics.

[chops]

IMHO 500 THB a day is complete madness! I know quite a few farang that would love to have 500 THB a day! IF this 500 THB would become the minimum in Thailand, ALL wages would go up. There would a lot of unemployment, as many people (thai and farang) could not afford to hire personel, so all prices would go etc etc.

In the end it would create a situation that everything would be so much more expensive that the buying power of 500THB would be the same as the buying power of, let's say, 200 THB now... same same, only the baht would be worthless!

Very bad idea!!!

Agreed. If they hike it to 500 baht I'm certain we'll see a lot more farang working here illegally at menial jobs.

[TAWP]

If they raise the salary costs for low-end jobs this will hit the low and middle class in increased living costs with the equal amount in percentage.

This will in many cases remove the brute of the benefit of the salary increase, but it will make sure some companies will relocate.

A salary increase is only a benefit if everyone else isn't getting - otherwise you are merely fighting inflation, that is the harshest tax around for poor people and the most beneficial for the well-to-do.

[Nisa]

This guy is just trying to get the support of the poor who cannot think of the big picture. 500 baht a day would send prices soaring. It would not just be the lowest paying jobs getting paid more but you would have to adjust all pay since now the lowest qualified people will be earning the same or more as one with a college degree and then once their salaries go up what about those holding a degree and having many years experience?