On July 10, 2021, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin spoke about the incident where construction camp workers at the Nakhon Pathom bus station asked for amid camp closure, which became news on Channel 7 television on July 8. He has assigned the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General, Ms. Bubpha Rueangsud, to follow up on the assistance to the camp workers. The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General instructed the Nakhon Pathom Labour Office to bring consumer goods such as rice, instant noodles, chicken eggs, canned fish, fresh milk, and fresh longan to Mr. Pholpoom Poonsawat, recipient for contractors of the workers’ camp to give to all camp workers.
The Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General, Ms. Bubpha Rueangsud, said that Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin is concerned for all workers at construction campsites. Today, she was assigned by the Labour Minister to follow up on the assistance provided to workers at the campsite near the Nakhon Pathom bus station. She instructed Nakhon Pathom Labour Officer Mrs. Wanakarn Khaolarp to visit the area to donate consumables and dry foods such as rice, canned fish, instant noodles, chicken eggs, fresh milk, and fresh longan to contractors and construction workers in the camps to remedy and encourage them. They also advised them to follow public health measures and occupational health and safety measures at work against Covid-19. They were recommended to register for social security to receive benefits as the Social Security Office has already provided them with information.
Mr. Pholpoom Poonsawat, a contractor at the construction worker’s campsite at the Nakhon Pathom bus station, said that he would like to thank all agencies, such as the Provincial Labour Officer, the Nakhon Pathom Provincial Governor, for assigning Nakhon Pathom Chief District, and the Deputy Nakhon Pathom Governor for donating the items and giving encouragement from many agencies. Today, they were contacted by the Provincial Employment Office, Social Security Office, and Office of Labour Welfare and Protection to give advice. Food will be delivered on Monday. They also took the workers to submit a request for relief at the Provincial Office if it meets the criteria and does not affect the order.
Mr. Pholpoom said that independent workers like him want the government to open construction sites to work normally. The lack of income has severely impacted them in the past 15 days. The workers are not insured, and all workers who come to work are obliged to pay loan installments, such as loans for their homes, where some of their houses and cars are about to be seized. Many of the workers need to pay for motorcycle loans and the expenses that Thai and foreign workers must have a duty to send to care for their families at home. Their camp has both Thai and foreign workers. There are 42 people left in the camp; 17 are migrant workers, 3 of whom are dependents. The rest are 25 Thai workers. He, therefore, asked for the government’s sympathy to allow them to work normally.
++++++++++++++++++++
Division of Public Relations
10 July 2021
