Shortage of migrant labour hits key sectors

[webfact]

Shortage of migrant labour hits key sectors

By The Nation

 

 

CONSTRUCTION PROJECTS SLOW DOWN; FISHERIES, AGRICULTURE ALSO AFFECTED

 

BANGKOK: -- MANY SECTORS, including construction in the capital, fisheries in the South and agriculture in border areas, are facing labour shortages due to the tough new labour law, sources said yesterday as migrant workers began returning to Thailand.

 

A construction site of the Red Line train (Bang Sue-Rangsit) needed to slow down after many Myanmar workers left their work to reprocess work permits, an official said. 

 

Workers at the construction site at Bang Sue central terminal also left work, even though they did not need to: they incorrectly believed that their “pink card” was no longer valid under the new law, the official added. He noted that those workers might take 10-20 days to check or reprocess the register before getting back to work.

 

However, other construction sectors were less affected by the new law, since major construction firms usually hire legal workers, according to an official at the State Railway of Thailand who declined to be named. 

 

Millions of migrant workers in Thailand were in a chaotic situation over the past week after the government issued a new decree to manage migrant workers. The decree took effect on June 23, threatening fines for employers of at least Bt400,000 for every illegal worker they hire. 

 

Only a few days after the decision, Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha last Tuesday invoked his special powers under Article 44 to suspend four key articles of the decree until the end of the year. The suspended articles prescribe much harsher penalties against offending migrants and their employers until the end of this year. 

 

The suspension came too late for many companies, as thousands of legal and illegal workers panicked over the tough punishment and rushed to go to their home countries to process or reprocess their work permits and to register. More than 50,000 migrant workers reportedly returned home since last month, mostly to Myanmar and Cambodia. 

 

In order to end the chaos, the Labour Ministry will allow all Thai employers to register their Lao, Cambodian and Myanmar workers at temporary centres throughout the country from July 24 to August 7. 

 

While Prime Minister Prayut said earlier that he believed the workers from neighbouring countries would return to work in Thailand as there are demands in the market, Nit Ouitengkor, former president of Ranong Chamber of Commerce, said they might not return due to complicated legal procedures. There are more jobs available in their countries, including Myanmar, since the economy there is now growing faster than Thailand’s, he said. 

 

Ranong is Thailand’s southern port province, sitting next to Myanmar. The province is home to some of the most important fishery piers in the country. 

 

Many piers in the province yesterday were seen almost empty, while some were working with only half of the normal workforce. While it is estimated that more than 5 million migrants from neighbouring countries are working in Thailand currently, it is estimated that only half of them are documented. 

 

In the eastern border province of Sa Kaew, where there is a shortage of farm workers, local authorities coordinated with their Cambodian counterparts to encourage workers to cross the border to work. Many Cambodian workers have fled due to the new labour law in the past month, leaving many farms in trouble during the growing season. 

 

Sa Kaew provincial immigration chief, Benjapon Rodsawad, said Cambodian people are allowed to cross the border to work temporarily in the area in order to ease the current labour shortage.

 

With border pass papers, Cambodians would be allowed to enter and stay in Sa Kaew and neighbouring Pachin Buri province for seven days, he said, “so we have to strictly check their document in order prevent them from going deeper to other provinces or the capital”. 

 

Source: http://www.nationmultimedia.com/news/national/30320394

 

-- © Copyright The Nation 2017-07-11

[ukrules]

If only there was some way we could have seen this major problem coming before it happened....

[ukrules]

14 minutes ago, webfact said:

 

While Prime Minister Prayut said earlier that he believed the workers from neighbouring countries would return to work in Thailand as there are demands in the market, Nit Ouitengkor, former president of Ranong Chamber of Commerce, said they might not return due to complicated legal procedures. There are more jobs available in their countries, including Myanmar, since the economy there is now growing faster than Thailand’s, he said. 

This is the problem, they are not going to come back, ever !

 

[johnnynmonic]

The migrants I've talked to are sick and tired of being extorted. The government is continually dreaming up newer and more expensive ways for Burmese (et al) to remain here legally. 

 

R.I.P. golden goose of cheap foreign labor.

[yellowboat]

3 hours ago, webfact said:

Nit Ouitengkor, former president of Ranong Chamber of Commerce, said they might not return due to complicated legal procedures.

Thailand is a great place to have lunch and that is about it.  More efforts from the current government to ruin a perfectly good country.

[worgeordie]

Looks like the businesses will have to move to the migrants home countries,if they

want to have a cheap,hard working,workforce,Thailand once again shot itself in the foot,

never seems to learn from its mistakes.

regards worgeordie

[Dave67]

Brewrey, run, Piss , couldn't, up, a, in

Edited July 11, 2017 by Dave67

[clockman]

Thailand has been very lucky. In the past. But only because it has been a slave trader! Times change. Every dog has its day.!

[Colabamumbai]

Thailand wants it both ways at the same time, I cannot use the sexual terms in this post.

 

I noticed that there is an ad for Thai visas at the bottom of this page!

Edited July 11, 2017 by Colabamumbai
not complete

[ratcatcher]

 

The chickens have gone home to roost. hopefully for a good rest.

[Ulic]

Government regulations and the law of unintended consequences.

[hanuman2543]

Serves them right.  Sommnammna 

[losername]

"Migrexit" anyone?

[the guest]

All foreigners are treated like cattle, no surprise eventually the golden goose will not return.

[fforest1]

21 minutes ago, the guest said:

All foreigners are treated like cattle, no surprise eventually the golden goose will not return.

I think its also time to load up all the English teachers in cattle cars

and ship them out of the country too..

[williamgeorgeallen]

7 hours ago, ukrules said:

This is the problem, they are not going to come back, ever !

 

they can back after the last crack down why wouldnt they come back again?

[Sydebolle]

This country is in free fall - and the impact on landing with be felt by every Khon Thai. The less the government gets involved, the less bureaucracy there is - the better the country functions. 

Let the free market decide how many people at what rates are being employed in which field and jobs. Outline basic frame work and treat all the same, Thai or non-Thai. Create a hierarchy of power, i.e. the underling behind the governmental desk decides something the applicant does not agree with or is wrong then the applicant should have the possibility of calling on a higher authority for review. 

The writing is on the wall, in big red ink! 

[soalbundy]

This is what happens when Thai ministers think that they ought to do something to prove that they are working, go back to sleep nobody will miss you.

[Srikcir]

1 hour ago, Ulic said:

Government regulations and the law of unintended consequences.

Brought to the nation by an unintended government that has long out-served its perceived usefulness.

[Cadbury]

It would be easy to believe this quote by Margaret Wheatley was created with the Thai junta and it's directionless leader expressly in mind.

 

Without reflection we go blindly on our way creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful.

[farcanell]

Labeled as today's "must read" article.

 

must read for the laughs.... 

 

who would have thought? Lmao... no one in power, obviously.

[JAG]

I think its also time to load up all the English teachers in cattle cars
and ship them out of the country too..

Didn't you get the job then?

[yellowboat]

27 minutes ago, Cadbury said:

It would be easy to believe this quote by Margaret Wheatley was created with the Thai junta and it's directionless leader expressly in mind.

 

Without reflection we go blindly on our way creating more unintended consequences and failing to achieve anything useful.

That is a wonderful quote. 

 

The junta applies the iron fist in all situations, and now a passive backlash will hurt the country.   The path to good governance has been around since 600 B.C.  Sadly nobody bothers applying it as it implies selflessness .  

[Speedo1968]

Depending on how you read paragraphs 2 and 3 of The Nation article could the Red Line ( a government project - not sure if it is ) have been employing illegal workers ?