Mrs. Thienrat Navamawat welcomed Ms. Anusaree Tubsuwan, president of the House subcommittee studying public policy on labour welfare and the committee to visit Phetchaburi Province. Deputy Governor of Phetchaburi Province, Mr. Thammanoon Sriwatthana, and heads of government agencies and officials under the Ministry of Labour in Phetchaburi Province joined in the welcoming at the Phetchaburi City Hall.
Mrs. Thienrat said she joined the Labour Subcommittee’s visit today to meet and acknowledge the situation of informal workers. She also listened to the problems and obstacles and provided guidelines to generate income. The visit created awareness of the draft act promoting the development of the quality of life and protection of informal workers of community enterprises. She also met with the heads of government agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Phetchaburi Province. The spread of COVID-19 in Thailand has affected both formal and informal workers. Most workers have lower fixed incomes. This decrease in income affects the health and well-being of the people. Moreover, in the future, formal workers affected by the pandemic may have to change jobs or increasingly become informal workers. For example, the “new normal” has caused activities to focus mainly on keeping distance, preventing intimacy, and limiting direct contact. Therefore, it is an important variable that causes the creation of new careers and for people to increasingly buy and sell products through online platforms. As a result, there is an increase in informal workers compared to before. There are 20.4 million informal workers, representing 54.3 percent of the 37.5 million employed population.
The government policy has opened the country to welcome tourists, effective from May 1 onwards, whereby Phetchaburi Province is an important tourist city in Thailand. The Ministry of Labour and relevant sectors have therefore given importance to the promotion and development of informal workers’ quality of life, as most community enterprises are local villagers who play an important role in bringing income to families and communities, driving a strong economic foundation.
On this occasion, Mrs. Thienrat joined the Labour Subcommittee’s visit to meet with members of the Pasornarai Araya Community Enterprise Group, Khao Yai Subdistrict, Phetchaburi Province. They observed the making of the products and got to understand the income of community enterprises, obstacles, problems, and guidelines for group care. They also created awareness of the draft act promoting the development of the quality of life and protection of informal workers of community enterprises. This will help informal workers to have jobs, have a career, have a stable income, be safe at work, and get paid various benefits, including strengthening social security for informal workers.
+++++++++++++++++++++
Division of Public Relations
10 May 2022
