On February 17, 2022, at the meeting room on the 5th floor, Ministry of Labour, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned Secretariat to the Labour Minister Mr. Suthep Chitvong, to preside over the signing ceremony of a Memorandum of Understanding (MOU) on “Raising Thai Labour Standards for Sustainable Progress” between the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL or CPF. The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare’s Director-General Mr. Niyom Songkaew, Chief Executive Officer of Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL Mr. Prasit Boonduangprasert, and the Ministry of Labour’s senior executives also joined the occasion.
Mr. Suthep said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha and Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, who oversees the Ministry of Labour, gives importance to the management of labour with social responsibility and following international labour standards. It is now the era of trade and investment, liberalization, and bringing labour standards linked to trade to encourage the protection of labour and human rights. This will help improve the quality of working life, in line with the 20-year national strategy that sets the goal for Thailand to have the potential for higher competition, supporting the country’s development towards stability, prosperity, and sustainability.
Mr. Suthep continued that the objective of signing this memorandum is to show a mutual intention between the two agencies, especially the Charoen Pokphand Group, which is considered a fully integrated shrimp business in Thailand. It aims to promote, support, and develop business establishments and supply chains throughout the production line, to make business operations socially responsible for labour by complying with the requirements of Thai labour standards. As a result, more business groups have entered the Thai labour standards system, leading to an improvement in workers’ quality of life and for products and services to be recognized by customers for ethical production and free from human trafficking.
The essence of the signing of the Memorandum of Understanding is for the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare and Charoen Pokphand Foods PCL, a fully integrated shrimp business in Thailand, and an establishment in the supply chain, to coordinate campaigns to promote and recognize the importance of labour social responsibility and drive Thai labour standards into practice to increase the potential and ability to compete in trade. It also aims for cooperation to develop the Thai labour standards system, use it to manage workers in the workplace with social responsibility, and encourage business establishments in the company’s supply chain into the Thai labour standard system. In addition, each side also supports the knowledge of the development of the Thai labour standard system in the workplace to be successful. It can apply for certification of Thai labour standards or declare itself and maintain the Thai labour standard system sustainably. It also aims to disseminate information to the public to inform the importance of socially responsible labour management and support and exchange information on Thai labour standards to raise the quality of workers’ lives with the Thai labour standard system.
“Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin prioritizes labour protection following human rights principles, especially encouraging enterprises to implement Thai labour standards. The signing of the Memorandum of Understanding between the two agencies today is considered a good sign for raising the standards of Thai labour in the workplace and the supply chain throughout the production line. It shows social responsibility for the business workforce to reduce trade problems and support employees to have a good quality of life, following international standards. This will be a good role model for other businesses to continue,” concluded Mr. Suthep.
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Division of Public Relations
17 February 2022
