Cholnan to take up with coalition medical welfare plea of state agencies staff

Cholnan made the promise after representatives of the association of employees of government agencies met him at the Pheu Thai head office to submit their three-point demand.

Employees of government agencies do not enjoy official status and do not have the same benefits as government officials. Since the bureaucracy reform in 1997, the government has got many agencies to hire employees instead of recruiting new officials to cut cost.

The representatives of the association asked the Pheu Thai leader to have the next government consider extending free medical services to employees of government agencies after their retirement.

Government employees are entitled to free medical services during their active contracts but once their contracts expire or after their retirement, they must use the gold card universal healthcare system like ordinary people.

The association also called on the next government to amend the Finance Ministry’s directive to employees of government agencies, who have 10 years of service but less than 25 years, to choose to receive monthly pension instead of a lumpsum amount.

The association also called on Pheu Thai to coordinate with the next government to pay Covid-risk allowance to employees of Public Health agencies. The association said the employees have not received the Covid-risk allowance for five to seven months already.

Cholnan replied that Pheu Thai, which is a prospective partner of the next coalition government, had sympathy for employees of government agencies.

He said their demand would be raised in meetings of the transitional committee of the eight partners and meetings of a working committee.