Hundreds of Burmese workers yesterday continued protesting against their employer, Decha Fishing Net Factory, over low wages. The protest began on Thursday.
The Burmese workers complained that they were being paid just Bt144 per day, and nothing for overtime, while Thai workers at the same factory were earning a daily wage of Bt157 plus overtime. The factory reportedly has about 4,300 foreign workers, most of them Burmese.
Some of the protesters also complained that their passports appear to have been modified.
"We are worried that this modification may make it impossible for us to return home," a 25yearold worker said.
Khon Kaen immigration officials have, so far, declined to comment.
A source at the Labour Protection and Welfare Department said relevant officials had looked into the Burmese workers' complaints but found nothing wrong.
"The employer pays them Bt30 an hour for overtime, and they all earn about Bt203 per day," the source said.
According to the source, the Burmese staff only had Bt144 in hand everyday because their wages were deducted to pay for accommodation and cleaning services arranged by some of the migrant workers themselves.
The source said the employer held on to passports because of fear that the workers might lose their documents or run away. Normally, foreign workers need to report to immigration officials every three months.
Each Burmese worker's passport carries the name of the employer, and if they change jobs, their old passport gets cancelled and they need to apply for a new one.