Petitioners ask pm to help poor families

Abhisit came out yesterday to receive the petition from women members of several labour unions rallying in front of Government House.

Chittra Kujdej, a leader of the demonstrators, said workers decided to submit their demands to the premier on International Women's Day for assistance to jobless workers who had children and parents to care for.

They said they considered the gov¬ernment fund giving Bt500 to the aged on a monthly basis is insufficient, and that the Bt2,000 grant for wage earners receiving less than Bt15,000 a month is just "temporary assistance", which helps the eco¬nomic system to survive, she said.

Women workers want the govern¬ment to collect more from the wealthy via higher land and inheritance taxes, to build up a safety net for the poor.

They also said that prejudice against working women is still endemic in terms of compensation and the kind and level of positions available.

Abhisit told the groups that his government well recognised the importance of women and children.

"Policies that are more supportive of women in the workplace will be implemented," he said.

His government will also reform the country's social security system.

Authorities are studying appro¬priate ways to transform social security from a traditional bureaucratic system to one more userfriendly, the PM said.