Committee retains wage adjustment of 2.37%
The tripartite committee studying the minimum wage has adhered to its previous resolution to increase the minimum wage by province within the range of 330 to 370 baht, a hike of 2-16 baht per day or an average of 2.37%, from January 1 onwards.
The committee, which comprises representatives of employers, employees and the government sector, met on Wednesday to reconsider the details of the minimum wage adjustment across all 77 provinces following a remark of Prime Minister and Finance Minister Srettha Thavisin that the proposed rates were “too low”.
After the committee’s resolution was announced on December 8, the prime minister called on businesses to consider paying workers more than the proposed rates, pointing out that businesses also benefited from government measures such as reduced electricity prices.
Labour Ministry permanent secretary Pairoj Chotikasathien, who chaired Wednesday’s meeting, said there was unanimous agreement to adhere to the previous resolution to adjust the minimum wage by 2-16 baht per day up to a maximum of 370 baht.
The rates will be submitted to the Cabinet when it meets next Tuesday (December 26), and will take effect from January 1, he said.
As for the suggestion of Labour Ministry to rework the wage calculation formula, which is based on data from 2020, Pairoj said the committee will appoint a new subcommittee responsible for this task on January 17.
The committee is expected to use the new formula for the next wage adjustment, although no decision has been taken on when this will happen, he added.
Currently, the lowest minimum wage in Thailand is 328 baht and the highest is 354 baht, varying from province to province. Phuket will be the only province to have the highest rate of 370 baht, while most provinces will see rises in the range of 330 baht to 350 baht.
