Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin welcomed the Minister of Tourism and Sports to discuss measures to help tourism business staff affected by Covid-19 in the case of orders to temporarily close the premises. Employees are entitled to receive compensation benefits in the event of unemployment.
On January 22, 2021, at 15.30 hours, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin welcomed Tourism and Sports Minister Mr. Pipat Ratchakitprakan and the committee on the occasion to meet the Labour Minister to discuss measures to help tourism business staff affected by Covid-19. The occasion took place at the Prasong Rananant meeting room, 5th floor, Ministry of Labour. Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, Labour Minister’s Secretariat Mr. Suthep Chitayavong, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol, and the Ministry of Labour’s executives also joined the occasion. The Labour Minister said that the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Defense Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and the Ministry of Labour under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, has been instructed to take care of the workforce, including employers and business operators, ensuring everything must be done within the framework of the law.
Mr. Suchart continued that from today’s discussions, the Labour Minister suggested that we have a ministerial regulation for unemployment benefits due to the force majeure of Covid-19. The measures provide unemployment benefits to insured persons who are not working or where the employer does not work due to quarantine or surveillance of disease outbreaks, or in the case of no work because the employer had to stop operating either in whole or in part from government orders to temporarily close the premises to prevent the further outbreak. Such measures can cause operators to be unable to operate normally, and the employee is not paid during that period. In such a case, employees are entitled to receive unemployment benefits at the rate of 50 percent of the daily wages for no more than 90 days. The measure has been in effect since December 19, 2020. The Social Security Office has opened for affected employers and insured persons to submit compensation benefits. The forms can be downloaded at www.sso.go.th.
“In the past, all ministries have worked hard and to the best of their ability. We work together and ask that workers and employers remain confident and trust that we will work within the framework of the law so that everyone has a strong stand,” concluded Mr. Suchart.
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Division of Public Relations
22 January 2021
