Priminister chaired the commencement of the 2017 National Labour Day at the Bangkok Youth Center (Thai – Japanese) in Din Daeng, where labour leaders presented 5 demands including: Ratification of ILO Convention 87 and 98, reform of the Social Security Office, amendment of legislation to protect and improve the lives of informal workers, supporting legislation to develop enterprises into private organization and the enactment of royal decrees on fund collection and contribution for the welfare fund.
The Prime Minister gave an address at the National Labour Day event, emphasizing the workforce’s contributions to national development in terms of agriculture, industry, production and services, in addition to strengthening and adding economic value to the nation. He explained government policy on employment promotion to promote a stable income and self-sufficiency, caring for Thai workers both domestically and internationally, covering both informal and formal workers, as well as professional development in preparing for a Thailand 4.0. On the topic of this year’s demands, the Prime Minister said that many demands had been responded to by the government already, with some still in progress. Therefore, to ensure all demands were catered to fairly, the Ministry of Labour would be the main unit in consulting the people and relevant units to create a working framework covering all dimensions.
Continuing from the Prime Minister was Labour Minister General Sirichai Distakul who said, “Government policy aims to drive the nation towards a Thailand 4.0. Thailand has experienced rapid growth in the industrial sector, and as a result, many labour-related issues and complexities have presented themselves. The Ministry of Labour is at the center of managing and caring for both the formal and informal workforce, including all Thai workers in and outside of Thailand and foreign workers within our borders. The ministry exists to promote the quality of living, working conditions, fair compensation and working stability to ensure the nation remains competitive internationally. The Ministry of Labour has given consistent importance to the demands made by the workforce, whether it be from employers, employees, academics, state enterprises or private businesses and will continue to push for excellence to strengthen structural foundations and promote relationships between employers, business owners and employees.”
The Ministry of Labour has worked on last year’s demands with clear progress and processes. It consulted regularly with stakeholders to improve its services and provided consistent updates and answers to all relevant stakeholders. The ministry has used the feedback from its stakeholders to continuously improve its services and efficiency in problem resolution for the workforces’ benefit.
After the commencement, the Prime Minister visited the various activities in the event which included sharing of legislative information, health consultations, freelance career demonstrations, meetings with the workforce, quizzes and free dental and haircut services. Concerts by famous artists was also held at the event.
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1 May 2017
