Wage increase likely early next year, PM Srettha says

Increasing wages is a major policy platform of all the coalition parties, but his government will also consider concerns over possible higher costs for business operators, he said.

“We need to increase income for workers due to the higher cost of living. That can be done by raising wages and we will consider how to do it,” Srettha said. “[The government] will do it immediately when we are ready, which is expected to be around early next year. Let me discuss this with the coalition partners,” he added.

The minimum daily wage currently ranges between 328 and 354 baht, depending on the province.

The new prime minister is forming his Cabinet, which is expected to start performing its duties later this month.

He visited the coastal province of Samut Songkhram on Friday for meetings with local fishing operators to discuss the adverse impacts of the outgoing government’s tougher rules aimed at preventing illegal, unreported and unregulated fishing.

Srettha said he received complaints from fishing operators that the rules required them to produce many documents, which made it difficult for them to find workers for their boats.

“I sympathise with fishermen who have lost millions' worth of lost opportunities to catch fish. We have the idea of allowing documents to be submitted online to streamline the process,” the new PM said.

Srettha said that he would oversee fishing matters himself. And he was convinced that Thamanat Prompow from the Palang Pracharath Party, who is expected to become the next agriculture minister, would “provide full support” in collaboration with a working team from the ruling Pheu Thai Party in addressing complaints from the fishing operators.

Meanwhile, Thamanat said on Friday that he had no concern over the PM’s assignment for him to look into the complaints from fishermen regarding tougher rules. The politician said that he had worked on the matter while serving in a subcommittee in the previous government.