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As many as 230,000 privateschool employees have lost socialsecurity benefits since new legislation took effect in January, and now the National Human Rights Commission is stepping in to help.

Commissioner Sunee Chaiyaros is recommending amendments to the Private School Act.

"I am going to write to the education and labour ministries," Sunee said recently.

The act - introduced by the previous government- says social security and labour laws no longer apply to private schools.

For their employees, the consequences are significant. Employers are no longer required to make monthly contributions to the Social Security Fund (SSF).

Under that scheme, insured employees get free medical treat¬ment, pensions, and financial assistance in the event of childbirth, occu¬pational accidents, death and unemployment.

Sunee said employees of private schools clearly had much to lose.

"Although employees can retain their status as socialsecurity members by continuing to submit their monthly contributions, the benefits offered are different," she added.

For example, insured women working for companies that participate in the socialsecurity scheme receive Bt10,000 more in maternity benefits than non members.

"Unemployment benefits from the socialsecurity scheme are not available for employees whose employers do not submit monthly contributions to the SSF," Srivikorn School manag¬er Peka Uthasin said.

She estimated employees who retained their socialsecurity status without the help of their employers would lose hundreds of thousand baht in benefits.

"The pension benefit is much different when compared with those receiving employers' support", Peka added. "For lowincome earners, such loss is severe".