Ministry of Labour warns Thai workers returned from Libya, who did not get a job as stipulated in their employment contract arranged by job placement firms, have to submit a request for a refund of service fee to their Provincial Office of Employment within 30 days. Mr. Chokchai Srithong, Inspector-General of Department of Employment and Chief of the Ad Hoc Assistance Center in Libya, said Ministry of Labour continues to closely monitor the situation in Libya. Some of the Thai workers returned from Libya have already applied for 15,000 baht compensation from Fund for Job-Seekers Working Aboard.
Regarding complaints made by Thai workers returned from Libya that their job placement firms do not return them the collected service charges, Department of Employment wants to make it clear that in a case where a worker travels to work aboard but does not get a job as stipulated in his employment contract, a job placement firm that arrange to send the worker to work aboard, has a duty to return the service fee to the worker as prescribed under Employment and Job-Seeker Protection Act, B.E. 2528, Section 46 first paragraph. Thai workers that went to work in Libya but were forced to return home due to the situation in the country are regarded as those who do not get a job as stipulated in an employment contract and shall be entitled to a refund of service fee.
Thai workers, therefore, have the right to request for a refund of the collected service charges. They have to submit a request for a refund to their Provincial Office of Employment within 30 days from the date they arrive Thailand. Provincial Office of Employment registrar will issue a letter to a job placement firm ordering the firm to return service charge to the worker. If the firm fails to return the service charge within determined period, Department of Employment will issue a letter ordering a deduction of such a service charge from its 5-million bath deposited security. In a case where the money in deposited security is not sufficient to compensate all workers, workers can bring a case to the court to claim for compensation from the job placement firm. Problem arising from the war in Libya is unexpected but Department of Employment will continue to stand by workers and work to ensure they receive protection as prescribed by the law. It has also coordinated with Office of Labour Affairs aboard to help Thai workers claiming for owed payment and other benefits they entitled for said Mr. Chokchai.
