On June 9, 2022, the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin, Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, Permanent Secretary of Labour, Mr. Boonchob Suttamanaswong, the Ministry of Labour’s executives, the ILO’s Assistant Vice President and Regional Director for Asia and the Pacific, met with the ILO’s Director-General Mr. Guy Ryder at the International Labour Office in Geneva, Switzerland. The meeting discussed labour matters and ways of cooperation between Thailand and the International Labour Organization (ILO). Thailand joined as a founding member of the organization in 1919 and has strengthened the relationship continuously over a long time.
Mr. Suchart said that the Ministry of Labour thanked Mr. Guy Ryder for taking the time to meet today. Since Thailand was a founding member of the Organization in 1919, there has been collaboration with the ILO on promoting and driving various projects, especially on Decent Work. Thailand announced its first plan in 2019. This year, the tripartite committee has driven the implementation with approvals to extend the operation time until the end of 2022, following the Thai government’s 20-year national strategy. It also approved a draft amendment to the principles and fundamental rights at work to be presented at the general meeting for approval. This is an important development as work safety is crucial.
Mr. Suchart said that Thailand recognizes the importance of occupational safety and health issues, thus advocating the idea of adding security as one of the ILO’s fundamental right-to-work principles. Thailand has already ratified Convention No. 187 and will continue to address this issue with the fundamental right to work for the ILO through academic support. Thailand recognizes the importance of social protection. It has provided funding for the ILO to implement an actuarial program to reform the system in Thailand to be sufficient and sustainable. There are expansion activities to benefit ASEAN countries as well. The project duration is four years and will end at the end of next year, in 2023.
The Labour Minister spoke about the Ministry of Labour’s role during the COVID-19 crisis. The Ministry of Labour and the Ministry of Public Health worked together to provide equal treatment and health services to all workers, regardless of nationality. As a result, four million workers were able to get vaccinated by the Ministry of Labour. The SMEs Retention Program supported four hundred thousand small businesses, saving five million jobs and helping sixty thousand job seekers find new jobs. The Factory Sandbox framework was a new initiative that combined the idea of stabilizing the economy while maintaining health-related measures. It offered free PCR tests, quarantine, treatment, and vaccination for participating factories. The project helped businesses continue production, employing over 400,000 positions. As a result, the industry saw the highest export value in the past 30 years.
In addition, the Ministry of Labour encourages companies to conduct business with social responsibility, especially on labour issues, in line with the MME Declaration. The mechanisms of the Thai Labour Standards (TLS) and Good LabourPractices (GLPs) have been established, which have been worked on with the ILO. There has been a positive development in the National Action Plan on Business and Human Rights by the Ministry of Justice. A specific chapter on labour matters covers labour protection in all contexts. It is linked to the ILO’s MNE Declaration and Social Policy, which requires enterprises with foreign investment to conduct business responsibly.
Finally, the Labour Minister discussed progress in pushing for the ratification of Conventions 87 and 98 on the right to freedom of association without racial discrimination. It is currently amending two laws, namely the Draft Labour Relations Act and Draft Labour Relations Act in State Enterprises. Recently, the Office of the Council of State has completed the consideration. It has been published for a public hearing and sent to the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to confirm the draft Act, both of which the Department has confirmed the drafts. The Office of the Council of State will present its opinions to the Cabinet and the National Assembly for further legislation.
+++++++++++++++++++++++++
Division of Public Relations
10 June 2022
