Little Cheer For Thai Workers On Labour Day: Special Report

[webfact]

SPECIAL REPORT

Little cheer for workers on Labour Day

Chularat Saengpassa

Mayuree Sukyingcharoengwong

The Nation

Bosses who refuse to increase wages and rising prices mute effects of Bt300 wage

BANGKOK: -- Tomorrow brings Labour Day, but for 18-year-old waitress "Nok" and many of her fellow labourers, neither the holiday nor the recent introduction of the Bt300 minimum wage promise to change their lives much.

And on the day all low-income earners enjoy a rare break from work, Nok will be trying to decide whether to give up her restaurant job - which, while low-paying, provides her with meals and a roof over her head - for a new job at an electronics company which would pay her the Bt300 wage, but which she isn't sure will cover rent, utilities and meals.

According to labour leader Chalee Loisung, chairman of the Thai Labour Reconciliation Committee (TLRC), wait staff are the group most taken advantage of by employers in terms of the new Bt300 wage. Most are not paid the full amount, because the value of tips, meals and accommodation are deducted from their wage.

He cited a study claiming that fewer than half the workers in the seven provinces in which the wage hike was initiated have been paid Bt300 since the launch date of April 1, with the problem especially bad at medium-sized plants.

"To avoid violating the [bt300 per day] policy, many plants will turn to paying on a monthly basis…which would result in them equalling the Bt300-per-day cost, but the payment [on a daily basis] will be made for only 26 days, as actual payment on a daily basis would include weekends," he said.

Nok, who has waited tables at a restaurant in Bangkok's Bang Na for over a year, said the wage hike wouldn't help her. Working from 9.30am to 11.30pm, Nok earned nearly Bt300 a day (Bt150 wage plus tips).

The restaurant didn't pay overtime but provided meals and accommodation, she said. The employer hasn't mentioned the Bt300 wage and none have dared complain, as those who had worked there for four or five years still earned less than Bt300 a day. Nok fears that if she takes a factory job paying a Bt300 wage, she may not be able to cover both rent and meals.

Bang Kapi-based housemaid Thawil, 35, has two children attending school, which costs Bt10,000 a month - a little less than the combined earnings of her and her husband. She eagerly anticipated April 1, hopeful her employer would raise her pay from Bt220. But the date came and went with no sign of the Bt300 wage, while the cost of living kept rising. She says she won't file a complaint against the employer. "I'm scared they'll fire me."

A Bank of Thailand study, submitted to the Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), suggests the policy could lead to an increase in unemployment in the formal sector of 4.5 per cent, as some 600,000 to 700,000 workers may be laid off as part of manufacturers' adjustment.

Thailand is now one of just a few countries with an unemployment rate of below 1 per cent. The National Statistical Office's unemployment rate was as low as 0.8 per cent in January, reflecting high demand for labour as a whole and shortages in some industries.

Samut Sakhon rubber product workers' union deputy chair Witsanu Maliwan, who worked in a tyre factory for 14 years, said he got a raise to Bt300, up from Bt245. But since the hike, the factory has forced staff to work harder and begun much stricter enforcement of rules, including fining those who fail to wear ID cards. The hike is good news for single people, but for sole breadwinners it doesn't help to meet the rising cost of living, he said.

Another Samut Sakhon factory worker, Yanisa Khamchum, said she hadn't received the Bt300 wage as her workplace had been closed since November 2011 due to the flooding. She is one of 535 workers waiting for compensation. Earning Bt215 a day, she said she and most of her co-workers had worked there for over 10 years. She and 27 workers filed a complaint at the Labour Court in January, but the mediation failed on Thursday. The workers would fight on for their jobs and compensation, as they were not young enough to find new jobs.

TLRC chairman Chalee said the prices of goods, power and transportation were soaring. He urged the government to give a temporary Bt2,000 allowance to all workers for two months, and help workers laid off after the floods to find new jobs and give them another Bt2,000 assistance. The TLRC will this week conduct a cost of living survey and will present the results to the public and the Labour Ministry in May, he said.

-- The Nation 2012-04-30

[AZBill]

To work all day for that little is absolutely criminal. Shame on a greedy and lazy government that allows its members to routinely steal from its people as if drinking water then expects them to work for nothing. You are pathetic in the eyes of the civilized world!

[marquess]

It is almost Dickensian, Thailand needs a Lord Shaftesbury to help improve working conditions and make sure that labour laws are improved and properly enforced.

[Pib]

So, Thailand has updated its minimum wage law/requirement; and so once again there will probably be little to no enforcement of compliance. Sure some govt officials will make "chest beating statements" of how the govt will punish those employers who don't comply, but unless employees file complaints with the govt nothing will happen. This basically puts the burden on the employee to hopefully force a wage increase to the minimum wage...the same employee who lives in fear of losing his/her job.

[drdoom6996]

To work all day for that little is absolutely criminal. Shame on a greedy and lazy government that allows its members to routinely steal from its people as if drinking water then expects them to work for nothing. You are pathetic in the eyes of the civilized world!

+1

[Thaddeus]

But, but, but, it was promised, the roll out schedule was in place and happened on April 1st, I've seen it quoted many times on many topics in TVF, so it happened didn't it.

[buhi]

Bang Kapi-based housemaid Thawil, 35, has two children attending school, which costs Bt10,000 a month - a little less than the combined earnings of her and her husband

Surely this is a mis print!

[h90]

To work all day for that little is absolutely criminal. Shame on a greedy and lazy government that allows its members to routinely steal from its people as if drinking water then expects them to work for nothing. You are pathetic in the eyes of the civilized world!

But you know that you can rent an apartment for below 1000 Baht and a nice big house with Aircons for 5000 Baht in Bangkok.

If you compare that costs of living with the costs of living and salary with the civilized world than you'll find exactly the opposite. Beside Thailand has 0.8 % unemployed and for example Spain 20-30 % (at higher salaries).

[h90]

Bang Kapi-based housemaid Thawil, 35, has two children attending school, which costs Bt10,000 a month - a little less than the combined earnings of her and her husband

Surely this is a mis print!

yes no way you find a Thai housemaid for 5000, 6000 baht.....

[Robby nz]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

[cup-O-coffee]

On the other hand, I had my house built by these "laborers" and I'll never go through that again.

I know a few farang construction foremen who will tall you that one Myanmar worker is worth any five Thai workers.

If the consensus were that a worker should get paid for the quality of work they put out (do it right the first time), and not the amount of time they put in (sitting around and cutting corners at every single opportunity when the bosses' back is turned, and the paying customer suffers when those "laborers" "finish" the job), then low wages are the order of the day.

Mind you; this is stating things on the other hand.

You cannot prove anything in Thailand; only support it!

[jambodave]

Like in most countries the only time the government give sh*t about the workers is when election time comes around

[sparebox2]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

[saroq]

To work all day for that little is absolutely criminal. Shame on a greedy and lazy government that allows its members to routinely steal from its people as if drinking water then expects them to work for nothing. You are pathetic in the eyes of the civilized world!

Agree with you but have a look around and you'll see that the rest of the "civilized world" is headed the same way.

[saroq]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

This is just too ignorant a post to respond to but I can't help myself. Would you be happy working for 100 baht a day?

[Khonper]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

Then they have to sleep on the streets and no money for personal hygien, maybe go for the cinema after 25-30 years saving, since they have no home to watch TV.

[dazk]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

<deleted>

[pipo1000]

Bang Kapi-based housemaid Thawil, 35, has two children attending school, which costs Bt10,000 a month - a little less than the combined earnings of her and her husband

Surely this is a mis print!

yes no way you find a Thai housemaid for 5000, 6000 baht.....

And no way she has children at a school that costs 10.000 Baht a month.Government schools are free in Thailand.

This is simply propaganda at its best.

Look at the picture.it are selfemployed construction workers,probably waiting for the bus to go back home to cut the rice and have some holiday after to spend their well earned money.

If you don't believe,try to get a half decent construction worker like the ones in the picture,tilers or wall renderers at even 600 baht a day.I promise you that you gonna wait long time

[Thaddeus]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

This is just too ignorant a post to respond to but I can't help myself. Would you be happy working for 100 baht a day?

Millions already do, especially when work involves sleeping in a hammock.

And I know that some of SB2's comments can be a little off the wall, but 100B a day can feed you 3 times a day and get you a lao khao tipple.... you won't get TrueVisions a mobile phone and a hot shower though.

Would you care to guess how many of the Thai population don't have TrueVisions and electrically generated hot water.

[hyperdimension]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

They should have used a sliding scale formula in order to maintain a fair wage hierarchy, which I had proposed on previous threads.

For example:

Let's assume the lowest old daily wage was 250, and this will be increased to 300.

Let's also set the upper limit eligible for any increase to 500.

Let's now derive the formula:

new daily wage = ((500 - 300) / (500 - 250)) * old daily wage + b

b = 500 - ((500 - 300) / (500 - 250)) * 500

new daily wage = ((500 - 300) / (500 - 250)) * old daily wage + 500 - ((500 - 300) / (500 - 250)) * 500

This results in the following table:

Old daily wage New daily wage
250			300		  
300			340		  
350			380		  
400			420		  
450			460		  
500			500		  

Edited April 30, 2012 by hyperdimension

[hyperdimension]

Based on my budget analysis in the thread Thai Workers 'Unable To Pay Bills' Despite Pay Rise, 4k to 5k baht per month would be just enough to get by in Bangkok. 300 baht per day is 6000 baht per month if you assume that one month is 20 work days.

[nurofiend]

'the story of nok'

the restaurant is not complying, and her now having the choice to think about staying there (a job in which she already makes around 300 with tips) or move to a job that will pay the 300, somehow makes her struggle worse?

why would she be thinking about moving from a job that also provides her with food and shelter, to a new job that would provide the same money... minus the food and shelter?

here's one for you nok, "stay where you are"... if you exist of course.

[hyperdimension]

If the restaurant wanted to operate legally, it should charge for rent (and maybe food too) whilst raising the wage to 300 per day.

[LucidLucifer]

The misses sister is pretty pissed off with the 300b per day wage.

This is what she got before as a supervisor while the new ones who she had to teach got far less.

Now the new workers she teaches get the 300b per day while she gets no more.

Result; she is teaching new entrents for the same wage they are getting.

300 for new worker is too much when 100 Baht can fed you for the whole day with spare.

I base my calculation on 30 Baht/meal + free drinking water, very typical in Thailand, even Bangkok.

I'm stunned speechless at such a statement, so i'll just give you this instead

[pipo1000]

Based on my budget analysis in the thread Thai Workers 'Unable To Pay Bills' Despite Pay Rise, 4k to 5k baht per month would be just enough to get by in Bangkok. 300 baht per day is 6000 baht per month if you assume that one month is 20 work days.

But Thailand still has the 6 day work week,so 300 Bht a day is 8100 Bht a month.

[farang000999]

not much different in China.

it puts a bit of a damper on the whole "Asia is the new West" and "Asia is going to bury the West" so on and so on.

These "developing" countries are still just a place where a small percent have all and the rest nothing.

[LucidLucifer]

not much different in China.

it puts a bit of a damper on the whole "Asia is the new West" and "Asia is going to bury the West" so on and so on.

These "developing" countries are still just a place where a small percent have all and the rest nothing.

I don't think Asia will 'bury' the west, but without any doubt the balance of power is shifting east, and will continue to do so in the future.

While the distribution of wealth may be greater amongst the populace of western countries, the mega-rich of the east will soon have a preeminence on the world stage, and they won't give two hoots about the downtroden masses. If you need an example of that 'sod you Jack, i'm alright,' attitude, read Sparebox's post on the previous page.

[BigJohnnyBKK]

yes no way you find a Thai housemaid for 5000, 6000 baht.....

I know literally dozens of young upcountry girls that would jump at that, quite generous actually if it includes room and board, and especially if it's for a mollycoddling farang family - but no "extras" included at those rates!

And no way she has children at a school that costs 10.000 Baht a month.Government schools are free in Thailand.

True, but I know many families that spend the majority of their income on their kids' educations, put all their hope for the future there. . .

Based on my budget analysis in the thread Thai Workers 'Unable To Pay Bills' Despite Pay Rise, 4k to 5k baht per month would be just enough to get by in Bangkok. 300 baht per day is 6000 baht per month if you assume that one month is 20 work days.

Only if accommodation is shared or included in the job, which of course it usually is. But at the low end, they're lucky to get 2-3 days off. 6-day weeks are the standard, but when times are good at the factories, they take every bit of possible overtime.

it puts a bit of a damper on the whole "Asia is the new West" and "Asia is going to bury the West" so on and so on.

These "developing" countries are still just a place where a small percent have all and the rest nothing.

It's the relatively lower cost of labor which has traditionally driven these countries' skyrocketing growth.

The Gini coefficient for Thailand is about the same as the US.