On 4 May 2017 16.00 (local time in Israel), Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul and committee met with Mr. Aryeh Deri, Israeli Minister of Interior. The Labour Minister explained the Thai government’s direction on workforce development towards a Thailand 4.0, which focuses on improving the quality of living and the ability to work with advanced technology. General Sirichai thanked the Israeli government on supporting Thai workers under the Thai-Israeli project. He promised to improve selection criteria for workers to be “fit to work and fit to job”, with hopes that Israeli employers will continue sharing technological know-how in the agricultural industry.
The Labour Minister said that if Israel could assess the workers to certify their skills and knowledge in the agricultural industry, it would be greatly beneficial to the workers so that they could present this to potential future employers prove their skills for higher income. General Sirichai further asked for collaboration on labour protection, asking Israel to ensure that all Thai workers are treated and paid fairly per labour laws. As for workers returning to Thailand after completion of employment agreements, the Labour Minister requested more channels to connect with the Minister Counsellor on labour at the embassy in Tel Aviv, lowering expenses and improving Israel’s reputation as a labour importer.
Israel’s Minister of Interior Mr. Aryeh Deri said that Israel has legislation to ensure Thai workers are treated equally and was ready to resolve any issues as Thailand suggested. As for compensation, Israel confirmed efforts to ensure legal compliance and within this year, newly enacted legislation will enforce a compensation fund so that when workers complete their employment contracts, they will receive the collected funds.
“If legislation for employers’ contribution to the compensation fund is enacted this year, this will be a good source of stability for the current 2,500 Thai workers in Israel. This would mean they would be compensated one month’s salary after completing the employment contract equating to approximately 20,500 Baht, totaling over 6 billion Baht,” said the Labour Minister.
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Bureau of Public Relations /
Rapatsa panikul – News /
Sompob Silbut – Photos/
5 May 2017
