Workers set to push demand for higher wages, better conditions
To mark May Day today, labour groups will submit demands for an increase in the daily minimum wage to Bt233 and better welfare benefits including the right to vote where they work.
Wilaiwan Saetia, president of the Thai Labour Reconciliation Committee, who will lead a gathering of 27 labour groups outside Government House, said she would submit a 13-point demand to the caretaker government, including granting rights to labourers to vote in provinces in which they work. Now they are required to vote in the provinces in which their houses are registered. This change, Wilawan said, would make election candidates pay more attention to labourers in their constituencies. The other demand was that candidates need not have a bachelor's degree to be eligible to stand for election at any level. Wilaiwan said she would formally submit a request asking the government to increase the daily minimum wage to Bt233. The rate varies according to province ranging from the highest of Bt184 in Bangkok and neighbouring provinces to the lowest of Bt140 in Nan, Phayao and Phrae. Manas Kosol, chairman of the Employees' Labour Development Council of Thailand, which will hold a separate gathering at Sanam Luang, has made similar demands, plus called for free medical services for life for senior citizens who were beneficiaries of the Social Security scheme. Manas said there would be a pageant of floral decorations moving from the Royal Plaza at noon today to Sanam Luang where free musical performances will be provided from 4pm - when caretaker Labour Minister Somsak Thepsuthin will make a speech marking May Day - to midnight. Meanwhile, an Abac poll surveying a number of labourers and salaried people released yesterday found they regarded corruption as a common practice when it came to business competition. Of 643 factory workers and another 1,024 people surveyed, 66 per cent of the former and 60 per cent of the latter thought that there was nothing wrong with corruption in business. Of those surveyed, 64 per cent of labourers bought lottery tickets on a regular basis while 56 per cent of salaried people did the same. Only 24 per cent of the former and 31 per cent of the latter had savings of amounts larger than their salaries, said the poll, which was conducted last week.
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