Unemployment payment extended

Published: 28/01/2009 at 05:06 PM
Online news: Breakingnews

The cabinet agreed to extend the unemployment compensation period for laid-off workers from six months to eight months, Deputy Government Spokesman Phutthipong Punnakan said on Wednesday.

Previously, laid-off workers were to be paid for six months or 180 days, as proposed by the Ministry of Labour. However, the government decided to extend it to eight months or 240 days after knowing that about 51,000 people were discharged in December last year.

The cabinet also endorsed a 120-million-baht budget for the Office of the Permanent Secretary to organise workshops to enhance the competencies of people without jobs, according to Deputy Government Spokesman Phutthipong Punnakan.

Furthermore, the government approved a supplementary budget of 1.955 billion baht for more than 990,000 people who have registered for the Universal Health Insurance project.

Another 607-million-baht was also approved to buy back farmlands, which were previously auctioned, for 1,187 farmers. 1,140 of those farmers had their lands seized by financial institutions and banks. However, each piece of land must not cost more than 2.5 million baht.

About the author

Writer: BangkokPost.com

Keep this article in your social bookmark:

Latest stories in this category:

Share your thoughts

For more candid, lengthy, conversational and open discussion between one another, use our Forum

Report objectionable comments click here. Include: discussion #, commenter name, comment date / time as it looks on the page. Example: discussion 15: 09/01/2009 at 10:00 AM.

truth seeker

Discussion 7 : 29/01/2009 at 10:57 AM7
Uh, didn't Taksin borrow
the money from elsewhere to pay back the IMF "Early"? it was a publicity
stunt to raise nationalistic pride.
wantmymoney

Discussion 6 : 29/01/2009 at 01:50 AM6
Money politics never ceased to amaze me, they are more generous than some european countries and even United States itself. President Obama is desperate trying to stem retrenchements and aim to create 2 million jobs, in amazing thailand they are giving money away to afew thousands unemployed. Very soon those thousands unemployed will grow to millions and paying them 8 months whose money they will use and where do they get the money from? Perhaps borrow from IMF again like they did back then, hopefully another Thaksin will come along and pay back IMF ahead of time. Big country, big land , but no big agriculture industries like those of US, Mexico or Brazil. Whats the point of paying 8 months worth of salary when they dont even want to farm for their livelihood? They should learn from Singapore in creating jobs, holding back retrenchments. A small country can do much more than what big thailand can't.
Marty

Discussion 5 : 29/01/2009 at 12:32 AM5
hi, I wasn't aware there was a social welfare payment in Thailand. Is this the case?
Jinaree

Discussion 4 : 28/01/2009 at 10:05 PM4
Farming is a job. It has been a tough year for the farmer due to bad weather and flooding. With an increasing rate of population, farming business needs to be preserved to prevent food shortage. We should appreciate the farmers for working hard in the field to produce us the foods.
shame

Discussion 3 : 28/01/2009 at 07:05 PM3
Instead of giving free money, do they know how to create job, or helping them to find a new job. The purpose is just spend our money to buy their Vote and support. Good strategy, Shame on them (D).
Andre M.

Discussion 2 : 28/01/2009 at 07:03 PM2
Kuddo's, more and more steps in the right direction.
WOT

Discussion 1 : 28/01/2009 at 06:12 PM1
Another 607-million-baht was also approved to buy back farmlands, which were previously auctioned, for 1,187 farmers. 1,140 of those farmers had their lands seized by financial institutions and banks

This is madness only 47 farmers out of 1,187 have not had the land seized by the banks???

WTF are these clowns doing drinking Lao Kow all ady?

Unemployment payment extended