Gov't's labour policy more long-term oriented

Arom Pongpangan Foundation labour rights researcher Bundit Thanachaisetavut talks to The Nation's Pravit Rojanaphruk on the situation. Excerpts.

Q : What are the labour issues you are concerned about the most this year?

A : Security of workers will be reduced in this slowing economic condition, which was compounded by the political conflict and the closure of the airports. The second issue, which wasn't really addressed [by the government], is the protection of rights of migrant workers. The government doesn't pay attention to how these workers may be fired and no new round of registration will be introduced. Maximum exploitation can be expected. Another issue that has not been addressed is about Thai workers abroad, whose host governments have no plan to extend their work permits.

There are about 100,000 of them [both legal and illegal].

Some labour leaders have said employers will exploit the situation this year by firing workers and accepting part-time subcontract workers. How real is the fear and what can be done?

This is expected and it has been on the rise since late last year. As to what can be done, the unions will have to solve the immediate problems and make firing less convenient and fight for greater job security. Those with fewer working years or without families should be the first to be relieved, however.

The government estimated that about a million workers may lose their jobs. How accurate is the prediction?

One must understand that the one-million figure or 1.5-million figure is estimated from the rate of economic growth, which may be right or wrong. If you use the figure from the Department of Labour Welfare and Protection, as of January 26, some 58,000 people have lost their jobs over the past 12 months. But this doesn't include those who resigned on their own. The figure really depends on the local and international economic situation and should best be reviewed on a quarterly basis rather than on a yearly basis.

Q : How do you see the Abhisit Vejjajiva government's labour policy?

The first Thaksin Shinawatra administration was quicker [in pushing labour policy]. I was invited to give opinion even a year before the [now defunct] Thai Rak Thai government came to power. The Abhisit government came to power in special political circumstances and had just invited labour leaders to discuss with them recently. Still, this government's labour policy is more long-term oriented than the Samak Sundaravej administration. One clear move is to make the Social Welfare Fund independent and transparent. This needs to be proved, however. At present the fund amounts to Bt50 trillion and 80 per cent of it are retiree savings.

Q : The government will give away Bt2,000 to those formal sector workers who earn less than Bt15,000 a month. What about those in the informal sector who earn little. Is this fair and would it make a difference?

A : I think the giving away of Bt2,000 is too much. The important thing is to think about those who're losing their jobs and how they can be assisted. As for those in the informal sector, they haven't been given much thought by the government.

Q : Earlier, you talked about the fate of migrant workers. What can be done to help them?

A : Who do you expect would help these people? The government won't do so, and more violations can be expected. The little interest the government has in these people will become even lesser. The thinking that they should be fired so Thai workers can do their work is wrong as the kind of work they do is not the work that Thai workers want to do.

As for NGOs, they have been doing more lately but their effectiveness is still low. But at least the society will know how difficult their life is and how they're exploited. Nevertheless, the exploitation, and attitude that these people are not human like us, continues.