On August 29, 2022, Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan chaired the National Informal Workers Management Committee No. 1/2022. The Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, attended the meeting at the Ministry of Labour.
General Prawit said that the government recognizes the importance of informal workers. There are new forms of employment, such as employment through platforms. The existing labour laws still do not cover some parts, resulting in some informal workers not having entitlements to the rights, protection, and welfare they should. Therefore, the Ministry of Labour was assigned to accelerate the draft bill promoting the quality of life and protection of informal workers. The Cabinet approved the draft on December 28, 2021, and it is currently under consideration by the Council of State to come into effect immediately. He asked all parties to support the informal sector for a better quality of life. The outcome of this meeting was an agreement on the (draft) Informal Worker Management Action Plan, 2023 – 2027, consisting of 6 main guidelines that would enable informal workers to receive skill development and career promotion, protection, and insurance from work. It also aims to develop a database system and strengthen the informal workers’ network.
General Prawit also instructed departments to implement the Informal Worker Management Action Plan, 2023 – 2027, and report the results to the Ministry of Labour monthly. The efforts aim to push the bill to promote the quality of life and protection of informal workers B.E. …. to come into force as soon as possible. It will support informal workers’ protection and a better quality of life. Efforts also aim to support the enforcement of the law on promoting the quality of life and protection of informal workers, such as improving the organizational structure to be in line with the legal mission, personnel development to be efficient and sufficient, the development of information systems to facilitate public service and to accelerate public relations to create awareness among the public, inviting them to register for informal workers to have a database to formulate a policy to help and remedy them promptly.
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Public Relations Division
29 August 2022
