Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul chaired the meeting of senior officials in Samut Sakhon provinces, to acknowledge progress on foreign worker management in the area, which took place at the Samut Sakhon City Hall. The Labour Minister presented directions and listened to the various obstacles faced from both private and public units. He said, “Samut Sakhon has great economic potential, particularly in the fishing and industrial sectors which has contributed significantly to employment. Over half of workers are permitted migrant workers, equating to approximately 300,066 people. The province is also an important pilot of many policies such as the one-stop-service registration for foreign workers and Port In – Port Out command center operations, particularly in migrant worker management such as zoning. This is one of the Ministry of Labour’s important policies and one of the 8 urgent reformation agendas to drive the nation towards internationally recognized standards. This being from the employment process, the legality status of workers and quality of life such as education, public health, workplace safety, fair compensation and returning the workers to their home country. The efforts rely on collaboration from all parties, which will improve the human trafficking conditions in Thailand. At present, the government has set Samut Sakhon and Ranong as pilot provinces on foreign worker management.”
After listening to the meeting participants, the Labour Minister continued, “The government has given high importance to foreign worker management, ensuring it meets international standards; this means accommodation, education public health and skills development. This time is an important period as on 22 February 2017, migrant workers having been permitted work permit extension in the fishing and seafood processing industry nationwide will have reached the expiration date. This means that al processes must speed up, including the citizenship verification process which must be completed within 5 months so that valid work permits can be issued.”
In addition to this, the Labour Minister reiterated cooperation on compensation and workplace safety from organizations, particularly in the fishing industry. He said he hoped to not see any more illegal or exploited migrant workers, and that the citizenship verification process be completed by neighbouring countries soon, ensuring process alignment with MOUs. The year 2017 has been set as the year for implementation of many ministerial policies, where frequent visits and follow ups by the ministry’s executives will take place in both public, private and social organizations.
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