Employers reminded to register workers from neighbouring countries
Doing so would ensure they receive healthcare, says Labour Ministry
The Labour Ministry on Sunday reminded employers of unskilled workers from neighbouring countries to properly register their workforce to ensure that they would receive healthcare under the social security system.
Phumipat Mueanchan, spokesman of the Labour Ministry, said Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn had told the ministry to ensure registration of immigrant workers in accordance with the Cabinet resolution issued on September 24 last year.
The registration will allow officials to monitor the workforce from neighbouring countries so that they could make contributions to the Social Security Fund for their own healthcare benefits.
Registration would also ensure that the immigrant workers pay income tax and do not work in certain professions reserved for Thais, the spokesman added.
Phumipat was responding to recent criticisms from the opposition People’s Party that immigrant workers did not receive proper healthcare in line with international human rights standards.
The People’s Party also alleged that each immigrant worker had to pay up to 20,000 baht for being eligible to work in Thailand but still lacked healthcare.
Phumipat clarified that each immigrant worker was required to pay just 7,600 baht for registration, not 20,000 baht.
He said the fee covered:
- 2,900 baht registration fee and guarantee fee collected by the Labour Ministry. The worker will get 1,000 baht back after completing a two-year contract.
- 500 baht visa fee
- 4,200 baht health checkup fee and health insurance premium collected by the Public Health Ministry.
Phumipat said the Labour Ministry now allows employers to register their immigrant workers online. Myanmar workers need not return to their home country to verify their nationality, but they can go to three Myanmar verification centres in Bangkok, Chiang Mai and Ranong provinces.
