CNI News

19 December 2023

Labor wages have been designated on 9th December to raise from 2 to 16 bahts in Thailand starting from 1st January 2024, The Bangkok Post reported. 

Because the amount of wage that was raised was quite small, the Thai Prime Minister held a meeting with the tripartite committee on setting the minimum wage on 11th December. 

But anything confirmed has not released yet, according to the people who are helping in the affairs of migrant workers.

However, labor wages more probably will be raised from 2 to 16 bahts and rather than not raising wage at all, raising the wages like that will be supportive a bit to the workers, U Min Oo, in charge of labor affairs of the Foundation for Education and Development (FED), told CNI News.

Migrant workers

" In fact, the amount that is raised is not supportive a lot to the workers. But rather than raising nothing, raising by 16 bahts is supportive a bit. The cabinet meeting finally might confirm to raise from 2 to 16 bahts depending the provinces. The cabinet will have to make a decision. I'm not sure what will happen." he said.

According the currently designated rate, labor wages are raised from 354 to 361 bahts in Chon Buri Province where Myanmar workers are working, and from 335 to 345 bahts in Kanchanaburi Province, and from 332 to 345 bahts.in Tak Province.

However, there are still many workers who have not been fully paid at the rate that was previously raised, Ko Thargyi, a person helping migrant workers, told CNI News.

" In Thailand, wages are not uniformly paid. One province is different from another in paying wages. 300 bahts is set as a daily wages in Mae Sot. In other places, 320, 323 and 333 bahts are designated differently, according to the law. But in 80 percent of some places, 220 to 250 bahts only is paid. The factories that pay wages in accordance with the law are very few. Without solving these problems, the announcement that will raise wages has no effect on the majority of the Myanmar workers.” he said.

Migrant workers in Thailand

Although Thai PM said that the minimum wages should be around 400 bahts, the committee responded that the current rates were decided based on the proposals by the province sub-committees and it would be necessary to ask the province sub-committees to re-arrange if the rates were changed and it would take about two to three months.

Of the 46 manufacturing industries in Thailand, 50 percent are using manual workers and the majority of industries are seafood and garment industries.

If what the prime minister was implemented, the number of labors must be reduced and the productivity probably would decline, pointed out the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI)
So, if there was no further change about wages until the end of 2023, labor wages would be raised from 2 to 16 bahts, depending on the provinces.