CNI News
18 July 2022
Myanmar workers who went to Thailand under the MOU between the two governments sometimes were not employed in jobs in their contracts, Ko Thar Gyi, a labour activist for Myanmar workers in Thailand, told the CNI.
The workers signed employment contracts which guaranteed certains jobs in factories before they went to work in Thailand but they said they were employed in construction sites when they arrived in Thailand.
Ko Thar Gyi said, “When employment contracts were signed, it was stated that they would be employed in certain factories but when they arrived in Thailand, they had to work in construction sties. Some of them were sent to construction sites but they were not allowed to work there. The problem was they were not employed in accord with their contracts. Under the terms and conditions of the MOU, agencies sent the workers from Myanmar to Thailand but this was just an offical purpose to send workers to Thailand. Costs for hiring workers for a factory for a construction site vary enormously. Why can’t agencies employ workers at the workplaces stated in the contracts? According to complaints we have received, workers were hired for jobs stated in the employment contracts, but they are forced to work in other worksites,” he said.
Overseas employment agencies are responsible for the problem while those who complained of the problem only knew the name of the persons who sent them to Thailand and when they were contacted to the phone numbers they had given to workers, they did not answer the phone calls. The workers did not know the names of agencies which sent them to Thailand.
Currently, the workers who do not have appropriate accommodations and have faced difficulties for food, want to return to Myanmar. Ko Thar Gyi said that the problem must be blamed on the Ministry of Labour of Myanmar.
“Employment agents in small towns tried to lure the workers by saying that they would be provided with accommodations. They showed the workers photographs of some hostels in Thailand and said that they did not need to pay utility bills and would also be provided with food in a certain factory. The workers no longer want to stay in Thailand if they are not employed in the jobs stated in the employment permits. They want to return home and sue agencies which sent them to retrieve their costs with the help of the Anti-Human-Trafficking Police,” he said.
Action should be taken properly against such oversea employment agencies by the Myanmar Embassy in Thailand and diplomatic staff, Executive Director U Htoo Chit of Foundation for Education and Development told the CNI.
“Most labour attaché here have to depend on overseas employment agencies and work with their assistance. So, they cannot take effective action against the agencies. This is the lack of accountability that tarnish the image of the government. So, it is necessary for them to offer assistance to the workers immediately and this will amount to protection of workers,” he said.
There are millions of Myanmar workers in Thailand and the MOU, which was suspended due to COVID-19, was revived on 10th May 2022 and currently, more than 10,000 Myanmar workers have been sent to Thailand.
