Thai minimum wage unchanged till the end of 2015

[webfact]

Minimum wage unchanged till the end of 2015

BANGKOK, 11 December 2014 (NNT)-The National Wage Committee has decided not to not raise the minimum wage until late next year as the cost of living remains at a reasonable level.

According to Permanent Secretary to the Ministry of Labor Mr. Nakorn Silapa-archa, the wage committee has resolved not to increase the daily minimum wage given that the inflation rate and the global oil prices have declined.

However, Mr. Nakorn, who is also the president of the National Wage Committee, said they would deliberate on an unofficial proposal from the labor union suggesting that the daily wage be increased to 321 baht. Another meeting will be held at the end of 2015 to consider the possibility of adjusting the wage again.

Following concerns of higher costs of living after the salaries of low ranking government officials have been increased, the Commerce Ministry will try to make everyday items more affordable for consumers, the Permanent Secretary said, adding that the prices of most products remain unchanged.


-- NNT 2014-12-11

[BigBadGeordie]

Increase for government officials....done

Increase for the lowest paid....let them eat cheaper oil

[binnsy1]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

[Robby nz]

Don't know what it is that this gent buys to say that prices have remained unchanged.

I suppose it doesn't really matter though when you are on a big salary plus meeting allowances with meals thrown in.

Hope he pays his maid and gardener (assuming he has them) the minimum wage or better.

[chotthee]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

If you REALLY knew of plenty, please call the police 191, to arrest the criminal employers.

[Pib]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

If you REALLY knew of plenty, please call the police 191, to arrest the criminal employers.

Calling 191 will not help...Police are going to do "zero" without a complaint officially filed in writing. And in this case since it's a labor issue they probably wouldn't accept the complaint...they would just tell you to go talk to the Labor Dept. Plus, the minimum 300 baht wage comes with a bunch of fine print where apparently certain benefits can be counted towards that wage....even more reason the police would just point you to go talk to the labor dept.

[Monkeysee]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

If you REALLY knew of plenty, please call the police 191, to arrest the criminal employers.

I'm a little confused, was this a serious comment, or having a laugh?

[worgeordie]

The Police are reluctant to investigate murders,so what chance have

got to get them to move their <deleted> over someone not paying the

minimum wage.

regards Worgeordie

[JimGant]

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

Right. If that second maid you're thinking about hiring isn't worth 300 baht, don't hire her. But wait -- if she has no alternative employment -- and is willing to work for what her productivity is worth -- why not hire her? Many laws are just plain stupid, especially those that fly in the face of economics. Yeah, she can complain -- but not if she wants a job. Private individuals, as well as large employers, are not going to pay someone what they are not worth. Simple economics will always trump simple populism, whatever the law.

Maybe this new "happiness" government will discover the 'earned income tax credit' as a smarter populism move -- not fiat economics that, where not ignored, is just plain counterproductive.

[konying]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

How many employees do less than little as possible and cost employers money?

Plenty all around the country, just visit any store and if they not sleeping, they playing on the phone, if they not sleeping or playing on the phone, they are eating and if they are not eating, sleeping or playing on the phone the answer is "no" to any question you ask

If each employer deducted money for doing nothing, many would be lucky to make 50 baht per day

[BigBadGeordie]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

How many employees do less than little as possible and cost employers money?

Plenty all around the country, just visit any store and if they not sleeping, they playing on the phone, if they not sleeping or playing on the phone, they are eating and if they are not eating, sleeping or playing on the phone the answer is "no" to any question you ask

If each employer deducted money for doing nothing, many would be lucky to make 50 baht per day

Thats got nothing to do with the topic, that is about bad ineffective management.

[konying]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

How many employees do less than little as possible and cost employers money?

Plenty all around the country, just visit any store and if they not sleeping, they playing on the phone, if they not sleeping or playing on the phone, they are eating and if they are not eating, sleeping or playing on the phone the answer is "no" to any question you ask

If each employer deducted money for doing nothing, many would be lucky to make 50 baht per day

Thats got nothing to do with the topic, that is about bad ineffective management.

Spoken truly like someone who has not got a clue about thai work force and thailand at all

[BigBadGeordie]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

How many employees do less than little as possible and cost employers money?

Plenty all around the country, just visit any store and if they not sleeping, they playing on the phone, if they not sleeping or playing on the phone, they are eating and if they are not eating, sleeping or playing on the phone the answer is "no" to any question you ask

If each employer deducted money for doing nothing, many would be lucky to make 50 baht per day

Thats got nothing to do with the topic, that is about bad ineffective management.

Spoken truly like someone who has not got a clue about thai work force and thailand at all

It appears you know me so well, but I will re-iterate is's about management. Also it appears you have a very high opinion of the Thai workforce in general NOT

[konying]

It appears you know me so well, but I will re-iterate is's about management. Also it appears you have a very high opinion of the Thai workforce in general NOT

Yep ZERO understanding or experience or knowledge

[Mudcrab]

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

Right. If that second maid you're thinking about hiring isn't worth 300 baht, don't hire her. But wait -- if she has no alternative employment -- and is willing to work for what her productivity is worth -- why not hire her? Many laws are just plain stupid, especially those that fly in the face of economics. Yeah, she can complain -- but not if she wants a job. Private individuals, as well as large employers, are not going to pay someone what they are not worth. Simple economics will always trump simple populism, whatever the law.

Maybe this new "happiness" government will discover the 'earned income tax credit' as a smarter populism move -- not fiat economics that, where not ignored, is just plain counterproductive.

Send em back up chimney lad...T'were good enough for four year olds when i was a lad.....when they get a little stronger... send down t'pit. Nowt need for clothes down there lad... think of the money you'll save. And get T'RSPCA of yer back complaining abut pit pony conditions.

[Mudcrab]

It appears you know me so well, but I will re-iterate is's about management. Also it appears you have a very high opinion of the Thai workforce in general NOT

Yep ZERO understanding or experience or knowledge

Seems we are all agreed on that point.

Next subject on the agenda......how to succeed in Thailand - a basic course in human interaction management.

[Sydebolle]

Our salary costs went up 28% in 2011, after Yingluck nicely shafted the private industry. All our employees had more than the new minimum wage but they argued that if a non-brainer gets an increase of 50% from B200 to B300 then they would be facing the inflation music too.
Hence we have 28% more personnel costs without having increased anything else (efficiency, productivity, quality or quantity). The loser at the end was the tax man as it ate nicely into our profit.

Once AEC starts to grip (and this will not happen in Thailand anytime soon) then you can kiss the minimum wage good bye. Other ASEAN citizen will take over and Khun Thai can sit at home and wonder what happened. Just make sure we remind them of all those fantastic governments they had "voted" for.

[Mudcrab]

Our salary costs went up 28% in 2011, after Yingluck nicely shafted the private industry. All our employees had more than the new minimum wage but they argued that if a non-brainer gets an increase of 50% from B200 to B300 then they would be facing the inflation music too.

Hence we have 28% more personnel costs without having increased anything else (efficiency, productivity, quality or quantity). The loser at the end was the tax man as it ate nicely into our profit.

Once AEC starts to grip (and this will not happen in Thailand anytime soon) then you can kiss the minimum wage good bye. Other ASEAN citizen will take over and Khun Thai can sit at home and wonder what happened. Just make sure we remind them of all those fantastic governments they had "voted" for.

perhaps a basic course in management is required. Not that hard - know when to holdem, know when to foldem approach.

[rubl]

Increase for government officials....done

Increase for the lowest paid....let them eat cheaper oil

Increase for "low ranking government officials" ... done

increase for lowest paid ... done, between 33% and 100%, all on 300 Baht/day since Jan., 2013

The salary levels of the low ranking officials were never much (might explain some corruption). The 300 Baht a day wasn't really much either, but created pressure on cost of living.

Patient to doctor: when I press here it hurts there

Doctor to patient: then don't press here.

Freezing wage levels is done in many countries at times. Never satisfies, not really. Keep on raising wage levels doesn't help either. The best way seems to increase wage levels in small increases, but regularly.

[konying]

It appears you know me so well, but I will re-iterate is's about management. Also it appears you have a very high opinion of the Thai workforce in general NOT

Yep ZERO understanding or experience or knowledge

Seems we are all agreed on that point.

Next subject on the agenda......how to succeed in Thailand - a basic course in human interaction management.

Would love more than anything to hear about your extensive experience working and managing in Thailand or anywhere else in the world, with some evidence would be good, as fiction stories are out of fashion at the moment

[Ulic]

For me this is one of Thailand's great mysteries. Very very low unemployment, but no pressure on companies to raise wages.

Many pay less than the minimum wage. When I read complaints of Farang business owners there employees seem unmotivated

by money ie. a fare days wages for a fair days work, and are more interested in not working productively. ie. I put in a full day

talking/gossipping and hanging out, get my wages, who cares about productivity. If the work or social interaction is not right

quit at work for less somewhere else.

[Ricardo]

It's three-and-a-half years since the last increase was promised, as part of a successful election-campaign by PTP, although they then took one-and-a-half years to fully deliver.

It is therefore surely past time, for the next increase to be delivered, if only to cover two years' worth of inflation.

Claiming that the falling world-price of oil, or bureaucrats' promises to try ineffectually as usual to control consumer-prices, will compensate is IMO mistaken.

Yet the current state of the Thai & other regional economies is not wonderful, and any impact from ASEAN at the end of next year has also to be taken-into-account.

A small increase now might not have been unreasonable !

[Boxclever]

Remember the outrage from the yellow shirt elite when the democratically elected PTP government raised the minimum wage to 300 bht/day? And now they say no more increases and that they will work on lowering living costs instead! Spoken like a true reactionary fascist regime

[smudger1951]

A benchmark living wage is a useful guide but how many thais have permanent salaried jobs ? Only the officialdom ! Here in Pattaya so many people are self employed food vendors, market sellers and bar workers etc. So I don't see much changing any time soon.

[Thai at Heart]

For me this is one of Thailand's great mysteries. Very very low unemployment, but no pressure on companies to raise wages.

Many pay less than the minimum wage. When I read complaints of Farang business owners there employees seem unmotivated

by money ie. a fare days wages for a fair days work, and are more interested in not working productively. ie. I put in a full day

talking/gossipping and hanging out, get my wages, who cares about productivity. If the work or social interaction is not right

quit at work for less somewhere else.

Because for large volumes of workers at the bottom end Thai companies can import limitless amounts of labour from outside thailand.

There is no pressure on the bottom end of the market other than what the minimum wage can provide. There is no unemployment of Thais but there is plenty of unemployment of Burmese and Cambodians.

[luk AJ]

It is my opinion that it is very difficult to find good labor. So many employers have to pay 300thb per day and even more. The biggest surprise however was the min 15k for university degrees. So in our company many staff (example lab assistant) were paid around 7 to 9k and the next month they got 15k based on the new min salary policy. Also min wage nation wide is not really clever as the cost of living is completely difference in different provinces.

[rubl]

Remember the outrage from the yellow shirt elite when the democratically elected PTP government raised the minimum wage to 300 bht/day? And now they say no more increases and that they will work on lowering living costs instead! Spoken like a true reactionary fascist regime

Remember that many suggested a sudden increase of between 50% and 100% might fuel inflation? Remember that the government of the day 'compensated' companies by decreasing the Corporate Tax immediately from 30 to 24% (and later to 20%)? Remember the previous government after having set things in motion considered "mission accomplished" even though the 300 Baht a day was only made into law effectively 2013-01-01 ? Remember that with "mission accomplished" the previous government saw no reason to do more ? Remember that the previous government and PM stated inflation to be only imagined?

Now doesn't that look better without the 'yellow shirt elite', and 'reactionary fascist' terms?

PS since almost two weeks ago wearing a yellow shirt' is in again, at least here in Bangkok. Nothing to do with 'elite' though, even poor people wear the colour. Even I am sitting in an office wearing yellow at the moment, imagine!

[Bluespunk]

How many Employers are still not paying the Minimum Wage?

Plenty up here in Buriram

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

If you REALLY knew of plenty, please call the police 191, to arrest the criminal employers.

I'm a little confused, was this a serious comment, or having a laugh?

Neither.

[Bluespunk]

It is against the law for not paying the minimum.

Right. If that second maid you're thinking about hiring isn't worth 300 baht, don't hire her. But wait -- if she has no alternative employment -- and is willing to work for what her productivity is worth -- why not hire her? Many laws are just plain stupid, especially those that fly in the face of economics. Yeah, she can complain -- but not if she wants a job. Private individuals, as well as large employers, are not going to pay someone what they are not worth. Simple economics will always trump simple populism, whatever the law.

Maybe this new "happiness" government will discover the 'earned income tax credit' as a smarter populism move -- not fiat economics that, where not ignored, is just plain counterproductive.

There is very little that PT did that I supported but the minimum wage was one, the only one I think.

It is the duty of a govt to ensure all its citizens have a living wage, if this means forcing private companies to pay one, then so be it.

It is morally wrong to force someone to work for wages that do not allow them to have a standard of living that is above the poverty line.

It doesn't matter if they will do it because poverty and desperation forces them to accept anything.

A society that does not allow all to have the basics of food, shelter and security is a pitiful thing indeed.

300 baht isn't enough, but it is a start, one that must be raised.

Sooner rather than later.

[CantSpell]

There is very little that PT did that I supported but the minimum wage was one, the only one I think.

It is the duty of a govt to ensure all its citizens have a living wage, if this means forcing private companies to pay one, then so be it.

A society that does not allow all to have the basics of food, shelter and security is a pitiful thing indeed.

300 baht isn't enough, but it is a start, one that must be raised.

Sooner rather than later.

I would tend to agree with you except that as for other policies implemented; nothing would work without proper enforcement and proper guidelines.

Some companies turned around an unclear law to include benefits already provided to the staff to match the 300 Thb without actually increasing the salary:

Eat at canteen: 20-30 Baht charge per day, housing 50 Baht charge per day, transport provided 40 Baht per day:

Look, your salary is already well over 300 THB, no need to increase....

Hospitality sectors have it even easier: just include service charge (usually paid on top of salary) to match salary, 300 THB and lower volume paid so more cash flow...

Others would just employ foreign workforce (Burmese, VIet, Cambodian): Salary 5000 THB but we give food and you can sleep on the floor here: Take it or leave it; hurry up, decide, got 200 more waiting outside...

And as mentioned by someone else, what about the self employed? Must easily be 10-20% of actual workforce....

Those laws are just heavy make-up to keep a fresh face...

Edited December 12, 2014 by CantSpell