The Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin welcomed the Chairman of the Federation of Thailand Automobile Workers, Mr. Manit Promkarikul, and members of the trade union to follow up on demands for the government to control the prices of consumer products and cancel the employment of wage contracts and plans to support the impact of workers from the switch to electric cars. The meeting took place at the Prof. Nikom Chantravitun meeting room, 5th floor, Ministry of Labour.
Mr. Suchart said that the demands submitted by the Federation of Thailand Automobile Workers today are as follows: 1) The state must strictly enforce Section 1/1 of the Labour Protection Act to “cancel contract employment.” 2) Let the government control consumer products. 3) Consistently adjust the minimum wage following the economic growth nationwide and adjust daily wages to monthly wages after working for one year, thereby continuing to count the employment tenure. 4) Ensure that the government has a plan to support the impact of the switch to electric vehicles on automotive and related industries workers. 4.1) Set up skill development centers for various workers in every sector. Add new occupation skills, professional management, and jobs that will be born following the market direction and new economy in the 4.0 era, such as AI, digital, and other occupations. 4.2) Provide protection for layoffs and fairer compensation than Section 118 of the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541, assisting affected workers in accessing the court of justice. 4.3) Set up a fund to help employees who have been abandoned from the transition of energy to electric vehicles. 4.4) Establish a committee on growth and restructuring of the economy and employment to coordinate, monitor, and protect employees’ problems affecting employment and the transition from energy to electric vehicles. 5) Request to cancel the announcement of the Ministry of Labour regarding labour disputes that have not been agreed upon to be entered into the arbitration of the Labour Relations Committee and prohibit employers from closing work or employees from striking during a state of emergency declaration. 6) To expedite the adoption of the amended Social Security Act B.E… for consideration in the House of Representatives, consider the proposed law effective and beneficial to insured persons. 7) On the provident fund, the Provident Fund Act (No. 4) B.E. 2558 came into force on November 1, 2015. There are two important items: 7.1) Allow employees to make contributions at a higher rate than employers pay. Contributions must follow the rates stipulated in the Fund Regulations but not exceed 15 percent of wages. 7.2) Amendments to the Provident Fund Act B.E. 2530, and 8) Objection to the Labour Relations Act B.E…, the version that passed the consideration of the Council of State.
Mr. Suchart said that from today’s discussions, he instructed the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to collect all claims and objections from labour organizations by inviting a group of relevant labour leaders to join a meeting to discuss and clarify the actions of the Ministry of Labour can take. As for the things that cannot be done, they will coordinate with the relevant agencies to help them complete their consideration as soon as possible. As for the objection to the revised draft of the Labour Relations Act, yesterday (June 29, 2022), representatives from the Federation of Labour Organizations of Thailand and representatives of other employee organization councils had discussions with the Ministry of Labour. The Assistant to the Labour Minister participated in discussions in case of disagreement with the Labour Relations Act B.E…. amended by the Council of State (Chapter 9). In this regard, the Ministry of Labour has always followed up and given importance to improving all labour laws to be fair to employers and employees. The details will be summarized and sent to the Cabinet’s Secretary to present to the Deputy Prime Minister in charge, ordering the decree to present the draft of the Labour Relations Act, along with suggestions and objections of labour organizations to consider and review. It will invite employers, employees, government departments, and ILO representatives to give opinions for consideration of the amendment of this law to benefit all parties before submitting the bill to the House of Representatives as the next step.
“Today, I would like to thank all the representatives for joining forces in driving the country forward. The government was led by the Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour and cares for the well-being and quality of life of all workers. Let us join forces to move the country forward,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
Chairman of the Federation of Thailand Automobile Workers, Mr. Manit Promkarikul, said that today, he and members of the Automobile Workers’ Union submitted a letter to follow up a request to the Prime Minister through the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin to help control the prices of consumer products, cancel labour contracts and plans to support the impact of workers from the switch to electric cars. They also presented flowers to encourage the Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, who helped solve the problem according to each request, informing them what could be done and what could not, to create peace of mind and relieve concerns for employees.
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