On December 1, 2022, at 09.00 hours, the Labour Minister, Mr. Suchart Chomklin, assigned Assistant to the Labour Minister, Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, to chair the Social Security Academic Conference for 5 Regions 2022 (Northern Region) entitled Modernizing SSO 2022: Driving Towards A Modern Social Security System. He gave a special lecture, “Policy for development and upgrading the workforce’s lives.” The Social Security Office’s Secretary-General, Mr. Boonsong Thapchaiyut, the Ministry of Labour’s executives, and heads of government agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Chiang Mai Province gave a welcome at the Khum Phucome Hotel, Chiang Mai.
The Assistant to the Labour Minister, Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, the Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan who oversees the Ministry of Labour, and the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin, has instructed the Ministry of Labour to care for workers affected by COVID-19, including the employers and business operators, like family members. In addition, the Ministry of Labour has been instructed to help fellow workers to gain equality. The Ministry of Labour’s Social Security Office is an important mechanism for the government to help employers and insured persons through various projects and measures. Examples include the proactive COVID-19 screening in establishments, the vaccination program for insured persons, the Factory Sandbox project, the ‘Section 33 we love each other’ project, the compensation program for employers and insured persons in the highest controlled areas in 29 provinces, and the program for insured persons in entertainment businesses. The COVID-19 situation has now eased, and the government has the policy to reopen the country, causing many Thai and foreign tourists to visit the area. Tourism businesses and services, shops, restaurants, and accommodations in Chiang Mai and provinces in the North have experienced a quick recovery. In addition, the government has implemented measures to promote employment. As a result, the area’s current economic and employment situation has improved. Today, he had the opportunity to chair the social security conference for the five regions for the third time in the northern region of Chiang Mai Province. He expressed his confidence that this social security conference island those in the future which will be held in the northeastern region of Udon Thani Province and the eastern region of Chonburi Province, is a good project to exchange ideas as a guideline for creating a good quality of life for insured persons, including sustainable benefits. It is also an opportunity for developing modern government services to meet the needs of insured persons to create a good quality of life for maximum benefit.
The Social Security Office’s Secretary-General, Mr. Boonsong Thapchaiyut, said that today’s event had close to 500 attendees, comprising the Ministry of Labour’s executives and officials, the Social Security Office’s staff, the Social Security Board, employer representatives, employee representatives, and insured persons in Chiang Mai and surrounding provinces. In addition, within the event area, there were talks on the Ministry of Labour’s role in elevating the quality of life of workers towards stability by the Ministry of Labour’s executives and Modernizing SSO 2022, stepping into a modern social security system by the Social Security Office’s executives, and employer and employee representatives. There were academic exhibitions, such as the past COVID-19 assistance operations, along with guidelines for future actions and information about the challenges of the COVID-19 situation to lead to the development of services, enhance the quality of life for workers in all sectors, and drive the economy in tourism and service sectors in all provinces.
