Move Forward MPs join Labour Day march, slam govt over lack of raises

Move Forward MPs, led by party leader Chaithawat Tulathon, joined the march from the Rajadamnoen Nok Road to the Lan Khon Muang grounds in front of Bangkok City Hall.

Labour unions stage a march on May 1 every year to demand better protection, welfare and better wages for workers.

After holding a Labour Day ceremony at the Lan Khon Muang grounds, the workers will submit their demands to Interior Minister Anutin Charnvirakul.

Chaithawat boarded the party’s truck during the march to shout slogans attacking the government.

He pointed out that Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin’s government has been in office for more than seven months, but it still lacks a clear-cut policy on the rights and welfare of workers and on the daily minimum wage raise.

Chaithawat added that the government was only testing the waters and was not committed to raising the wages.

It was earlier speculated that the government would raise the minimum wage to 400 baht nationwide, but the labour minister shot it down, he said.

The party leader added that over the past 10 years, the cost of living has been rising fast but the daily wages for unskilled workers have failed to catch up.

This disparity has affected the economy because workers do not have enough purchasing power, Chaithawat said.

He added that the daily wage increase may have a short-term impact on small and medium enterprises, but the authorities should not worry because it will not deprive Thailand of its competitiveness.

He said Thailand’s competitiveness should lie in the efficiency of production and labour skills, not in low daily wages.

Move Forward party-list MP Zia Champathong also declared in a speech from the truck that the party has several agendas to push for in Parliament to better protect labour rights and welfare.

Zia, who is in charge of labour affairs for Move Forward, said the party has submitted a new labour protection bill at Parliament and a new motion calling on the government to grant new mothers 180 days in maternity leave.

He said the party has also called on Parliament to ratify the International Labour Organisation (ILO) Convention 98, which grants workers the right to organise and collectively bargain for better welfare and wages.

The ruling Pheu Thai Party should also keep its promise to provide better welfare for workers, and to raise the daily minimum wage to 600 baht nationwide, Zia said.

Participating in the march were several labour groups, including 16 labour councils, the State Enterprises Workers’ Federation of Thailand and a centre that coordinates with workers outside the system.

To mark Labour Day, the groups submitted a 10-point demand to the government, namely:

1. Ratify the ILO’s Conventions 87 and 98

2. Enact a bill or issue a directive to set up a fund providing a safety net for workers in risky jobs

3. Amend the Social Security Fund’s regulations to increase retired workers’ monthly pension to 5,000 baht

4. Set up a Social Security Hospital and a labour bank for workers

5. Ensure that all businesses observe the Labour Protection Act’s Article 11/1

6. Speed up the resolution on medical welfare for retired workers by ensuring that state enterprise employees enjoy the same benefits as retired government officials. Reduce tax on bonuses and severance pay for private and state enterprise workers

7. Speed up the enactment of a national pension act to ensure workers have financial security upon retirement

8. Upgrade the Labour Safety Division into a new department

9. Ensure the Victims Compensation Fund covers medical bills for workers injured or made ill at work that go beyond the Social Security Fund coverage

10. Set up a working committee to follow up on the demand of labourers and the panel should meet every two months.