Mill workers win suit after 11 years
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, with interest backdated to the day the lawsuit was filed. The Central Labour Court ruled in September, 2003 that the defendants' negligence in not providing a safe working environment had contributed to the workers' occupational lung disease and ordered them to pay compensation of Bt100,000 to Bt200,000 to each plaintiff. One worker who was found not to have the disease pulled out of the case. The defendants then filed an appeal. On Wednesday the appeal court upheld the lower court's ruling and ordered the defendants to pay the compensation to each of the 37 workers within 15 days. President of the Work and Environment-Related Patients' Network, Somboon Srikam-dokkae, who was also the first plaintiff in the case, said the workers were satisfied with the verdict even though the compensation was less than half the lower court's ruling. She herself 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 little, we feel more like human beings having obtained justice," she said.
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