Thailand's child labour record faces US scrutiny

Labour Protection and Welfare Department (LPWD) chief Amporn Nitisiri, said in a meeting with US Embassy first secretary for economy, Lawrence J Petroni, she had affirmed Thailand's policy against human trafficking and listed a decrease in child workers over the past 23 years.

In the past, the US Department of Labor has made allegations of child and enforced labour in Thailand's

sugarcane, shrimp and garment industries which could result in US trade barriers.

Amporn said Petroni explained that under a 1999 general law issuance, the US prohibits state organisations from buying goods produced by child labour in any country, not specifically Thailand.

Amporn said the LPWD replied that Thailand's policy against child labour was based on three points - 12year obligatory education that helped save children from labour trafficking; LPWD measures to screen child labour;  and campaigns for Thai employers to use legitimate workers in their establishments and treat them well according to labour law.

Amporn said LPWD random inspections of some of 50,000 factories, covering three million workers, found 87 per cent of employers abided by labour laws. The remaining 13 per cent failed by not providing welfare, registering workers, or allowing workers to have holidays.

The Social Security Office said in 2007 there were 104,198 workers aged 1517. The figure had dropped to 65,536 in 2008, and was expected to decrease further in 2009 and 2010, she said.

The US had set four international levels of child labour trafficking, she said. Thailand was on level 2, meaning it was a country trying to tackle the child labour trade - an  acceptable category.

LPWD affirmed its guidelines for 2010: to solve labour disputes to attract more investors; to promote valuable work performance in business establishments; and to campaign against human trafficking.