On December 9, 2021, at 09.30 hours, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong to preside over the delivery of policies to the Chonburi Labour Volunteers at the Chonburi Meeting Room, Chonburi City Hall. He said that the COVID-19 pandemic severely affected Thailand at the beginning of 2021. When the pandemic spread widely, it directly affected the business operations of many establishments in the Chonburi area. The state ordered many organizations to close services, including small business establishments that could not bear the cost, causing them to close, which then caused unemployment issues. According to the Chonburi Provincial database, 562 organizations temporarily closed, impacting 159,644 employees. The top three sectors were manufacturing businesses with 140 companies, wholesale and retail businesses with 162 companies, and accommodation and food service businesses with 62 companies. In terms of providing remedies to those affected, the Ministry of Labour’s Social Security Office in Chonburi Province paid compensation benefits in the case of unemployment due to force majeure to 133,000 people, valued at 1,527 million Baht.
For the 2022 fiscal year, the Ministry of Labour by the Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin announced policies on November 24, 2021. The policies consisted of urgent policies, namely: 1. To upgrade the Ministry of Labour to a Ministry of Economy. 2. To stimulate employment as needed in the new economy both domestically and internationally 3. To manage migrant workers systematically 4. To accelerate and improve the Social Security Act to align with the current situation and support changes in the future, and 5. To ensure that workers and employers can work amid the COVID-19 situation safely and happily. Important policies that must be continuously implemented are 1. To develop workforce skills to be qualified workers in preparation for the country’s opening and support the new economy. 2. To manage workers in special economic zones and the target industries 3. To continue upgrading careers to raise income and the community economy, including the projects under royal initiative 4. To upgrade the prevention of labour trafficking problems to unlock the Tier 2 Watch List. 5. To develop, improve and promote labour protection and welfare, and social security, raising the standards of occupational safety and health in the workplace following the changing society, economy, and working styles. 6. To promote informal workforce management among fragile workers, elderly workers, and people with disabilities to receive labour rights and protections, equal welfare and social security, to have a reasonable income and a better quality of life reducing the income inequality of the country leading to sustainable economic revival; and 7. To develop the Ministry of Labour’s database system (Big Data), integrating government data for administration and establishing systematic labour and social security strategy.
Labour volunteers play a key role in driving policies and participating in various Ministry of Labor activities, including the following: 1. Stimulate, promote, and maintain employment and expand the labour market abroad, including self-employment, work at home for the unemployed and new graduates 2. Promote the employment of Thai workers and systematic management of foreign workers 3. Proactive prevention on the spread of COVID-19 among workers and establishments by strictly implementing public health measures, such as the Factory Sandbox project. 4. Upgrade skill development through up-skill, re-skill, and new skills by training unemployed workers to have sufficient knowledge to work. The effort aims to increase labour productivity to help unemployed workers return to the labour market by promoting new ways of learning and working offline and online channels. 5. Develop professional skills for youths and the new generation who prefer to work as freelance workers and are not dependent on anyone organization. 6. Promote independent occupations that use local wisdom as the main occupation in response to the manufacturing sector towards an innovation-based economy and sustainable community 7. Integrate work, create knowledge and understanding for workers, entrepreneurs, and network partners from all sectors to jointly prevent and resolve human trafficking problems in all dimensions; and 8. Improve the quality of work-life and promote sustainable workforce development whereby all job seekers have the opportunity to work according to their abilities and have a reasonable income through developed standardized craftsmanship, protected according to basic rights, having better welfare, a good working environment, and social security that meets the basic necessity of living.
He thanked and encouraged all 92 Chonburi labour volunteers working in the 92 subdistricts of Chonburi Province, with a network of 188 workers, totaling 280 people. The volunteers have always devoted their efforts to helping the Ministry of Labour, being a public relations medium for disseminating knowledge and gathering information on labour needs to encourage people in the area/community to participate in the prevention of labour problems in the area, also asking them to jointly develop the country to overcome this crisis together, concluded Mr. Surachai.
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Division of Public Relations
