Lung-infected 37 female workers win lawsuits
Following an 11 year fight for justice, 37 female workers who suffered Byssinosis caused by cotton dust, finally won their lawsuit against Bangkok Weaving Mills Co on Wednesday.
The workers had originally demanded Bt57 million in compensation. However, each will receive Bt10,000 to Bt110,000, plus interest backdated to the day the lawsuit was filed. The Central Labour Court had ruled in September, 2003 that the defendants negligence to provide a safe working environment had contributed to the workers occupational lung disease and must pay compensation of Bt100,000 to Bt200,000 to each affected plaintiff. One worker who was found not to have the disease pulled out of the case. The defendants then filed for an appeal. On Wednesday, the appeal court upheld the lower court's ruling but ordered the defendants to pay the compensation to each of the 37 workers within 15 days. President of the Work and EnvironmentRelated Patients' Network (WEPT), Somboon Srikamdokkae, who was also the first plaintiff of this case, said the workers were satisfied with the verdict even though the compensation was less than half the lower court's ruling. In her case, she will get Bt110,000, compared to the lower court ruling of Bt200,000. "We are satisfied with the verdict. We've regained our dignity after 11 years of fighting. Even though the money is small, we feel more like human beings obtaining justice," she said, adding that this case would set a precedent. Somboon also hoped the case would prompt business operators to provide safe working environments for employees to prevent further occupational health hazards. The Nation
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