Thai labourers complain of low wages, indebtedness and unfair treatment

[rooster59]

Thai labourers complain of low wages, indebtedness and unfair treatment

BANGKOK: The main problems of Thai workers are low wages, indebtedness, unfair treatment by their employers and unemployment due to foreign migrant workers, according to Suan Dusit Poll.

Suan Dusit Poll of Suan Dusit University conducted a random survey of the opinions of 1,070 Thai labourers during April 25-30 ahead of the Labour Day today.

Asked how they think about Thai labour in general, 84.5 percent of the respondents complained of low wages and low incomes; 78.5 percent complained of insufficient labour protection and welfare and 74.7 percent said Thai labourers can develop their skills to become skilled workers.

Regarding the main problems of Thai labourers, 82.24 percent identified low wages, indebtedness and insufficient incomes as their main problem; 78.97 percent said they were unfairly treated and taken advantage by their employers; and 64.20 percent complained that foreign migrant workers have taken away their jobs.

On how they think about political situation today, 76.64 percent said the situation is chaotic and the country remains as divided as it has been; 71.50 percent said there are both and good politicians and 69.63 percent said the country is in transition period.

Asked how they feel about the economic situation, 80.37 percent complained of high cost of living; 77.57 percent said economic is not good with foreign investors reluctant to invest here and 60.75 percent said the situation has impacted on Thai labourers.

Regarding their confidence in the government, 44.86 said they are confident with the government for its performance in suppression of influential criminal figures, crackdown on corruption and peace keeping; 33.18 percent said they are not confident due to poor economic situation and 11.21 percent said they are very confident in the government because the prime minister is decisive.

Source: http://englishnews.thaipbs.or.th/content/161737

-- Thai PBS 2016-05-01

[Nasrullah]

Asked how they feel about the economic situation, 80.37 percent complained of high cost of living; 77.57 percent said economic is not good with foreign investors reluctant to invest here and 60.75 percent said the situation has impacted on Thai labourers.

I wonder why........ ..........11% are happy with PM because he is decisive.....NOT very high!!!

[Bluespunk]

" 77.57 percent said economic is not good with foreign investors reluctant to invest here"

Carlsburg and Pepsi might have something to add to that sentiment.

[Pib]

...said they were unfairly treated and taken advantage by their employers...

I've heard above so frequently from my Thai in-laws and friends over the years, especially the part about being taken advantage of by their employers primarily along the lines of doing extra work/hours they are not compensated for.

[jamesbrock]

In Australia, an 11% approval rating would get a PM sacked...

[Thaiwine]

Foreign companies set up fatories in Asia for cheap labour

If they were prepared to pay higher wages they would build those factories in their home countries

Be carefull of what you wish for.

[HOAX]

With the poor protection laws for foreign investors, limited opportunities as a farang, corruption and organized criminals/mafia running more or less all sectors, it's no wonder why foreigners aren't very keen to invest in Thailand.

Everything I "own" here in Thailand, I don't see it as I actually own it, just temporarily. I could lose it all tomorrow unless I sell it and there's absolutely nothing I can do about it, but instead if I criticize, or just "bother" someone with a legal case, a complaint or publicly speak about it I risk further consequences.

Even if I ran a business here, there would be dozens of ways I could lose my business, even if my business was going good. Actually, ESPECIALLY if my business was going good.

Sure, it's horror stories that doesn't happen to most of us, but it happens way too often and the fact that laws in Thailand are not protecting foreign investors againt these kind of things, but rather actually encourage to scam foreigners should be worrying to all foreigners.

[bangrak]

I would be able to shed a few tears for the Thai 'workers'(!?) ...after the hard (slave?) workers from Birma, Cambodia and Laos will all be getting 300 Baht per day also, (really!) paid to them (net) per day! AND have the same access to Thai State hospitals as the locals, AND their children to 'free' Thai public schools!

May 1st explicitely rejects borders and limitations, but in a country showing signs of protectionism, xhenophobia, racism, more prone to exclude non-nationals than to welcome them (or at least treat them in an equal way) it's probably 'same same but (very) different', maybe it's better to ignore that 'Labour Day' was created by socialists (still a tabboo word in Thailand) about a century ago (in Europe) to unite the labourers from all over the world (//the socialist 'international')...

[Pib]

In Australia, an 11% approval rating would get a PM sacked...

In Australia they have elections.

[thesetat2013]

Another poll fron dusit! This one just as lame as others.... I give up trying to believe anything associated when that name is involved.... .

Labor workers being the lazy and incompetent workers they are should be grateful for the wages they get. Factories and specific jobs should be unionized to have a better pay scale. But every menial labor worker I have ever seen in Thailand rarely works half the day. The rest of the time they sit around and shoot the sh--. When I built my home, I wanted to fire the lot of them but who would end up replacing them may have been even worse. When I go out to the city and walk around the shops, 90% of the workers I see are online in their phones playing Facebook..

True, this doesn't account for all labor workers as their are some who actually try to earn the money they are payed. But the majority don't even deserve the pittance they get paid already.

[trogers]

Interesting that there is no reported studies to compare labour productivity and actual cost of production among countries in Asean.

This would help explain why and where foreign investors are investing.

[SoFarAndNear]

Who will buy all the luxury cars and go shopping at central when employers would give fair salaries to their staff?

I mean seriously we have a family friend who just owns 4 small food stalls in 4 different schools. The have around 3 employees in every food stalls. I have no clue how much money they really make but she was not too shy to tell me around 10k per shop per day. The huge house in one of Bangkoks outer district, 3 condos and 2 Benz for the family. I asked them once what an employee of them get per month. She says around 9.000 baht.... hallelujah...this was 3 years ago by the way. And she keeps telling us how difficult it was to find staff if someone quits.

[JAG]

Another poll fron dusit! This one just as lame as others.... I give up trying to believe anything associated when that name is involved.... .

Labor workers being the lazy and incompetent workers they are should be grateful for the wages they get. Factories and specific jobs should be unionized to have a better pay scale. But every menial labor worker I have ever seen in Thailand rarely works half the day. The rest of the time they sit around and shoot the sh--. When I built my home, I wanted to fire the lot of them but who would end up replacing them may have been even worse. When I go out to the city and walk around the shops, 90% of the workers I see are online in their phones playing Facebook..

True, this doesn't account for all labor workers as their are some who actually try to earn the money they are payed. But the majority don't even deserve the pittance they get paid already.

Back in the old days, in the Soviet Union, I believe that a standing joke was: "They pretend to pay us, we pretend to work for them".

Now I am probably, in UK terms, a fairly liberal Tory. Certainly not a socialist (although our North American friends may disagree), but I can in Thailand see the case for a strong proactive independent Trades Union movement, to force dramatic improvements in workers conditions and wages. With it ( as a result of it ) would come a more effective and sharper management regime. The workers would benefit, productivity would benefit.

[jamesbrock]

In Australia, an 11% approval rating would get a PM sacked...

In Australia they have elections.

Touché.

[Kasset Tak]

They are complaining that migrant workers takes their jobs... My friends has a pig farm and they offer 9000 Baht/month, free food and free housing for uneducated workers (15,000 if they have a vocational diploma in animal husbandry and and they offer 40,000 for a veterinarian)... now they only have Burmese workers as the locals refuse to work for that salary

Another thing where you can compare is the Thai construction workforce... We had an outdoor auditorium built at school, it took 10 workers 3 months to finish the project. I thought that it was just WAY to long tome so I sent the blueprints and some pictures to a friend who is a builder back home and asked him for a quota to make the same project. His answer was 2 men for 2 weeks + 1 man when poring concrete (2 days) and the calculated price would be about the same as the school payed the Thai workers. And Thai workers complain about hard work and low wages...

[kalbo123]

Thai laborers should have been united decades ago in Unions.

[TallGuyJohninBKK]

On how they think about political situation today, 76.64 percent said the situation is chaotic and the country remains as divided as it has been;

Somehow, the folks responding to this survey must have missed getting the official government HAPPINESS memo.

Where is that darned thing??? Every time I read it, I break out laughing!!!

[chainarong]

Foreign companies set up fatories in Asia for cheap labour

If they were prepared to pay higher wages they would build those factories in their home countries

Be carefull of what you wish for.

The whole setup from the beginning was to use their people as labour fodder to support an effort to attract international companies , these policies are grand until the people wake up, now the country has stagnated , still remains an emerging economy after thirty years,and disposable income is zilch.

[gandalf12]

When I was in Vietnam we had some Thai Instrumentation Engineers. Everyone of the Instrument group complained about them to the extent they were fired. We started at 7am and finished at 5pm they would come in at 10am then disappear. None of their team could ever find them. On the other hand the Vietnamese workers you had to tell to stop they would start on time and never stop unless they were told to.

Having said that many Thai guys I know in Thailand are hard workers bu it must be said they are not labourers

Edited May 1, 2016 by gandalf12

[tirekicker]

Having used Thai workers for 20 years I believe they are over paid for the low quality work they produce which always comes back to bite you in the bum.

[tirekicker]

Another poll fron dusit! This one just as lame as others.... I give up trying to believe anything associated when that name is involved.... .

Labor workers being the lazy and incompetent workers they are should be grateful for the wages they get. Factories and specific jobs should be unionized to have a better pay scale. But every menial labor worker I have ever seen in Thailand rarely works half the day. The rest of the time they sit around and shoot the sh--. When I built my home, I wanted to fire the lot of them but who would end up replacing them may have been even worse. When I go out to the city and walk around the shops, 90% of the workers I see are online in their phones playing Facebook..

True, this doesn't account for all labor workers as their are some who actually try to earn the money they are payed. But the majority don't even deserve the pittance they get paid already.

Totally agree!

[poohy]

Never mind even with decent wages they dont want too work ....eg in a restaurant

Ask them to work split shifts you will see just how unfair they think that is!

[Nasrullah]

In Australia, an 11% approval rating would get a PM sacked...

What about an opposition leader(shorten).......he's hovering around 17 i think.......can't win with him i say!

[elgordo38]

Foreign companies set up fatories in Asia for cheap labour

If they were prepared to pay higher wages they would build those factories in their home countries

Be carefull of what you wish for.

The government should hurry and spin this that if higher wages are paid here companies will pack up and move to lower wage surrounding countries. After automation sets in there will be no need to worry as all the farmed out jobs will return to Western soil housed in unlit factories manned by robots. How can the wages be so low here when one looks at all the new cars and trucks plying the streets. Oh sorry cheap credit is another thing that the West exported along with their good paying jobs. Welcome to the new world order.

[elgordo38]

Interesting that there is no reported studies to compare labour productivity and actual cost of production among countries in Asean.

This would help explain why and where foreign investors are investing.

Under the new TPP Vietnam will gobble up the majority of foreign businesses settling in Asia. If you cannot beat them with guns you can always win with free trade deals.

[elgordo38]

Thai laborers should have been united decades ago in Unions.

Yeah sure the West did it years ago and look where that got them. Its all unraveling there. If your retired sit back crank open a beer and enjoy the show it will be a doozy.

[elgordo38]

When I was in Vietnam we had some Thai Instrumentation Engineers. Everyone of the Instrument group complained about them to the extent they were fired. We started at 7am and finished at 5pm they would come in at 10am then disappear. None of their team could ever find them. On the other hand the Vietnamese workers you had to tell to stop they would start on time and never stop unless they were told to.

Having said that many Thai guys I know in Thailand are hard workers bu it must be said they are not labourers

Your statement just confirms what i stated earlier that the TPP will flood Vietnam with new business as it is full of docile workers.

[Nicolas32]

Sounds more like too much time on Facebook YouTube Line and phone games like candy crush ? I can think of the top of my head ..

[Bluespunk]

Thai laborers should have been united decades ago in Unions.

Yeah sure the West did it years ago and look where that got them. Its all unraveling there. If your retired sit back crank open a beer and enjoy the show it will be a doozy.

Might want to study the history of the union movement a little more closely before condemning them in this manner.

[BSJ]

The problem is the workers daydream about being back in the village,in the hammock, under the trees watching the rice grow.....between sleeps!

The corn harvester team (7 Thai's) that came the other week had 3 hangers on that did nothing.......till my wife served lunch! Luckily we pay per rai not per person!