Minimum wage proposal to be finalised today: Labour Minister
The tripartite committee on the minimum wage, comprising representatives of employers, employees and the government sector, will meet today (December 8) to finalise details of minimum wage adjustment, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn said on Thursday.
He said the committee has been contemplating proposals submitted by provincial labour offices nationwide and will adjust the minimum wage on a province-by-province basis to ensure suitability to each area’s economic status.
“Every province will see a hike in the minimum wage, but at a different rate,” Phiphat said.
The Pheu Thai-led government had previously promised to raise the minimum wage to 400 baht per day by January 1 as a New Year's gift for workers nationwide. However, in October, the Labour Minister said this was unlikely to happen after considering several factors, including the inflation rate.
Phiphat added that after the adjustment rate for each province was concluded on Friday, the Ministry would propose it to the cabinet meeting next Tuesday (December 12). He hoped that the move would be approved before January 1.
Currently, the lowest minimum wage in Thailand is 328 baht and the highest is 354 baht, varying from province to province.
Thanit Sorat, vice-chairman of the Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai), speculated that the meeting on Friday might consider switching to the one-year average of inflation (in 2023) as a basis for adjustment instead of the previous method of a three-year average.
He said this is to ensure that the calculation is based on the most recent economic situation, in which inflation has risen more aggressively due to both internal and external factors.
He added that it is not surprising that the government would stick to the previous pattern of adjusting minimum wage on a province-by-province basis, as different provinces have different levels of GDPs and numbers of workers.
