'Pm Should Probe Worker Deal'

[Lite Beer]

'PM should probe worker deal'

The Nation on Sunday March 18, 2012 1:00 am

BANGKOK:-- Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap could be taken to task by the Opposition over his move to scrap a plan to send Thai workers to Israel, a deal signed during the Democrat-led government.

Democrat Party deputy spokesperson Mallika Boonmeetrakul said she would file a complaint with the National Anti-Corruption Commission (NACC) against the minister if he scrapped the plan.

The minister claims the plan must be scrapped because of a problem of overcharging for job-placement fees, insisting that each worker must not be charged more than Bt120,000.

Mallika described the ministry's claim as dubious. She said the contract signed on August 3, 2010 indicated that the workers pay Bt80,000, and if they are made to pay Bt120,000, it means the terms in the contract have been violated.

She suggested Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra should order an investigation into an allegation that a close aide of a politician in the Labour Ministry called a private meeting with private job-placement agencies on the sixth floor of the ministry in February to demand an additional Bt30,000 from each worker sent to Israel.

Phadermchai on Friday challenged Chalermchai Sri-on, the Democrat secretary-general, to name the person he claimed was his close aide and had demanded an extra Bt30,000 commission from workers.

The minister said he scrapped the plan to send Thai workers to Israel after learning employment firms were exploiting workers by charging excessive job-placement fees.

-- The Nation 2012-03-18