CNI News
5 Jan 2023
As basic jobs in Thailand do not require educational qualifications and it is a neighbouring country migrants can travel easily to, Myanmar migrants should work there, labour activists told the CNI.
Thailand is a country Myanmar migrants should work because the basic wage in Thailand is much higher than that of Myanmar, Labour Activist Ko Thar Gyi in Thailand told the CNI.
He told the CNI, "Thailand is the best country Myanmar migrants should work. While a Myanmar basic worker earns less than MMK 300,000 per month, the monthly salary of a basic worker in Thailand is as much as MMK 700,000 at the current exchange rates. Thailand has set its basic slalry at Baht 9,000. At the current exchange rate of one Baht to MMK 61.12, a worker in Thailand earns more than MMK 700,000. As basic jobs in Thailand do not require educational qualifications and Thailand is a neighbour, it is the best country Myanmar migrants should work."
Most Myanmar migrants work in Thailand either officially or illegally and the flow of Myanmar migrant workers into Thailand has accelerated recently.
Millions of Myanmar migrants are working in Thailand because it is easy to travel to the country, jobs in Thailand do not require educational qualifications and language and the basic salary in Thailand is much higher than Myanmar, labour activists told the CNI.
Workers in a plastic factory in Thailand.
In terms of the basic salary, Myanmar migrant should work in Thailand but it is not the best country for Myanmar migrants, Consultant U Aung Kyaw of the Migrant Workers Rights Network told the CNI.
He told the CNI, "I don't think Thailand is the best country for Myanmar workers because there are many other countries which are better than it in terms of wages, treatment and protection. Thailand has employed millions of Myanmar migrants for more than 30 years because it is easy to travel to Thailand at low costs and to get manual jobs. They are different from workers who go to Singapore, Malaysia, South Korea and Japan. However, when ordinary workers have faced difficulty to survive in Myanmar, they have no other choice except Thailand.
Social security system and labour laws of Thailand are sufficient enough to protect workers, according to labour activists.
However, there are disadvantages for Myanmar workers in Thailand and authorities are issuing documents by collecting extra fees, Labour Activist Ko Thar Gyi told the CNI.
A fishery worksite in Thailand.
He said, "It is safe for Myanmar workers in Thailand if they have official documents of whatever kind. They can enjoy much higher wages than in Myanmar. If they come to Thailand illegally, Thai authorities tried to earn revenues by issuing work and stay permits for illegal workers, who had to pay authorities from Baht 15,000 to 20,000 last month. It can be said that the Ministry of Labour of Thailand failed to behave properly as a good neighbour because it issued pink cards to Myanmar workers by collecting unprecedented excessive amounts of money. And the pink cards are valid for less than a year."
Currently, Myanmar migrants are working in Thailand under the MOU between the two governments while some of them are working illegally.
Although some Myanmar workers went to Thailand under the MOU between the two countries, they failed to get the jobs in their employment contracts and faced other problems, according to labour activists.
