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300 baht minimum daily wage policy starts on April 1st & with up to 40% wage increases many companies worry. Last ditch legal effort to stop policy.

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Employers in move to halt wage increase, 100 companies set to fight government plan by Penchan Charoensuthipan

Seven employers' confederations will team up with the Federation of Thai Industries [FTI] to file a petition with the Administrative Court to stop the government implementing its 300 baht daily minimum wage policy.

Representatives from the seven employers' associations yesterday met to discuss their plan.

Prasit Jong-assayakul, president of the Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai), said the confederations would meet the FTI on Monday to set guidelines to formulate the petition.

About 100 member companies of the FTI have shown their interest to join the move, while the seven employers' confederations have mustered support from 50 companies to file the petition.

Mr Prasit said the petition would be lodged on behalf of companies as the confederations were not legally permitted to bring the charges to the court.

The petition is expected to be submitted after the new wage rise is enforced on April 1.

Earlier, some businesses had petitioned the court against the wage increase, but the court rejected their petitions, citing damage had yet to occur.

Mr Prasit said the 300 baht wage increase would adversely affect the country's economy in both short and medium terms. For instance, when the Asean Free Trade Agreement is expanded to zero tariffs on almost all goods by 2015, investors are likely to relocate their production bases to neighbouring counties such as Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia where labour is cheaper, he said.

He said the recent flooding had badly hit business operators. Many small business enterprises had gone out of business while large manufacturing firms such as Honda and Toshiba have yet to resume their production lines.

"Why doesn't [the government] repent? Unless the wage rise is reviewed, affected SME operators could not return to business and new operators will find it hard to run their businesses," Mr Prasit said.

Atthayuth Leeyavanich, secretary-general to the EconThai and a member of the tripartite Central Wage Committee, said the employers' proposal seeking postponement of the enforcement of the new wage rate from April 1 this year to Jan 1 next year would be on the national wage committee's agenda this month

"The wage hike is not in line with the good governance principle as the wage should not be increased by 40%," he said. 

Meanwhile, a group of workers from seven factories hit by last year's flooding yesterday sought help from the Labour Ministry saying they had not received their wages since October. 

Sompon Puangchan, 33, leader of the Seidai Kasei (Thailand) company's labour union, said the company had neither paid wages to 159 workers nor called them to work since October. Most workers wanted a clear answer from the firm regarding their employment. If the firm wanted to terminate their work contracts, it must abide by the labour law to pay wages and compensation based on employees' service years, Mr Sompon said. 

Labour Protection and Welfare Department chief Arthit Ismo said about 2,000 workers from the seven factories were expected to be affected. 

(Source: Bangkok Post, Employers in move to halt wage increase, 100 companies set to fight government plan, 3/02/2012, Penchan Charoensuthipan, link) 

Labour Law Vocabulary

labour law - all the laws, administrative rulings, regulations which define legal rights and restrictions on working people, mediates many aspects of the relationship between labour unions, employers and employees (See Wikipedia)

labour union - the organization that looks after employees in a company in their dealings with management, making sure that they get proper wages, benefits and treatment (See Wikipedia)

minimum wage - the lowest amount of money that a company can pay a worker for their work without breaking the law (law ensures that workers have enough money to pay for basic living expenses: food, transportation, clothes, place to live, etc) (See Wikipedia)

300 baht daily minimum wage policy - one of the main campaign promises of the Yingluck Shinawatra government

last ditch effort - the last try to do something (when all else has failed....and the time is nearing when something will happen)

employers - companies that hire workers
halt - to stop หยุด
wage - an amount of money that you earn for working, usually according to how many hours or days you work each week or month ค่าจ้าง
move to halt wage increase - taking action to stop wage increase

Employers in move to halt wage increase, 100 companies set to fight government plan

file - to take official action, in this case, to make an official complaint ยื่นคำร้อง
petition - a document signed by a large number of people demanding or requesting some action from the government or another authority การยื่นอุทธรณ การถวายฎีกา การร้องเรียน
file petition - to ask someone in authority to do something; a formal request for action to be taken, made to a court of law ยื่นคำร้อง

confederation - a group of organizations (that join together for some purpose)
employers' confederations

team up with - join with other people or organizations in doing some activity

administrative court - "a court specializing in administrative law, particularly disputes concerning the exercise of public power. Their role is to ascertain that official acts are consistent with the law. Such courts are found in some European countries with civil law and are considered separate from general courts" (See Wikipedia)

administrative law - the body of law that governs the activities of administrative agencies of government. Government agency action can include rulemaking, adjudication, or the enforcement of a specific regulatory agenda (See Wikipedia)

implementing - putting a plan into action; turning a plan into a functioning system นำมาใช้จริง
policy - a plan of action to guide decisions and achieve outcomes;  a set of plans or action agreed on by a government, political party, business, or other group นโยบาย (See Wikipedia)

seven employers' confederations will team up with the Federation of Thai Industries [FTI] to file a petition with the Administrative Court to stop the government implementing its 300 baht daily minimum wage policy.

representative - a person who has been chosen to make decisions and act for (on behalf of) a whole group of people ผู้แทน
association - an official group of people who have the same goals, interests, job or business สมาคม
employers' association

representatives from the seven employers' associations yesterday met to discuss their plan 

guidelines - rules to help guide action แนวทาง นโยบาย useful rules or advice to help you perform some task or engage in some activity
formulate - create and write up some document
formulate petition  - create and write up a petition

the confederations would meet the FTI on Monday to set guidelines to formulate the petition

show interest
the move - action
join the move - join with other people acting in a certain way
support - help, by giving money, for example สนับสนุน
mustered support -

about 100 member companies of the FTI have shown their interest to join the move, while the seven employers' confederations have mustered support from 50 companies to file the petition

lodge petition -
charges - accusations of wrongdoing, bad things that someone is claimed to have done
bring charges - bring a criminal case against a person

the petition would be lodged on behalf of companies as the confederations were not legally permitted to bring the charges to the court

expected - believe will happen คาดว่า (จะเกิดขึ้น)
submitted - formally given to someone so that they can make a decision about it ยื่น  ยื่นเอกสารเพื่อการพิจารณา
submit petition - give a petition to a court or government agency (requesting them to take action)
enforced - when a law, rule or regulation starts to be used (if people break the law they are punished)

the petition is expected to be submitted after the new wage rise is enforced on April 1 

petitioned the court - make an official request to a court, offiicially asked a court of law to do something
citing - mentioning as a reason ให้ อ้างอิงเหตุผล

earlier, some businesses had petitioned the court against the wage increase, but the court rejected their petitions, citing damage had yet to occur 

adversely affect - have a bad or negative effect on something

Free Trade Agreement (FTA) - a group of countries that have signed a free-trade agreement (FTA) that ends tariffs, import quotas and preferences on goods and services traded between them (See Wikipedia)

ASEAN Free Trade Agreement - the agreement between ASEAN countries of Southeast Asia to reduce the taxes or tariffs on imports from other ASEAN countries (already started)

tariffs - taxes on imports (to make foreign goods less competitive in a country) พิกัดอัตราภาษีศุลกากร

relocate - move to another location ย้ายไปตั้งอีกที่หนึ่ง
production bases
relocate production bases

Mr Prasit said the 300 baht wage increase would adversely affect the country's economy in both short and medium terms. For instance, when the Asean Free Trade Agreement is expanded to zero tariffs on almost all goods by 2015, investors are likely to relocate their production bases to neighbouring counties such as Laos, Myanmar and Cambodia where labour is cheaper 

business operators - companies doing a certain kind of business
enterprises - companies
resume - to begin again after stopping for a period of time ดำเนินต่อไปใหม่, กลับมาอีกครั้ง start again after stopping (ธุรกิจ) ที่ฟื้นตัวอีกครั้ง
resume production lines

he said the recent flooding had badly hit business operators. Many small business enterprises had gone out of business while large manufacturing firms such as Honda and Toshiba have yet to resume their production lines

repent - admit what you are doing is wrong and stop (example: repent from your evil ways, said the preacher, the end of the world is near and god will send you to hell if you don't repent)

Why doesn't [the government] repent? Unless the wage rise is reviewed, affected SME operators could not return to business and new operators will find it hard to run their businesses

tripartite - involving three organisations or countries ไตรภาคี
tripartite Central Wage Committee - the group of experts that meets together and changes the minimum wage from time to time, composed of representatives from 1. business, 2. labour and 3. academia 

a member of the  tripartite Central Wage Committee

proposal - a plan or suggestion for a group to consider ข้อเสนอ
postponement - delay ความล่าช้า
enforcement - making sure a law is obeyed and punishing people if it is not obeyed บังคับใช้กฎหมาย
rate - อัตรา
national - for the whole country
agenda - a list of things that people will discuss at a meeting ระเบียบวาระ

the employers' proposal seeking postponement of the enforcement of the new wage rate from April 1 this year to Jan 1 next year would be on the national wage committee's agenda this month

wage hike - increase in daily amount of money paid to workers
in line with - agreeing with, following
governance - the way that a country, political unit, or company is managed and run
principle - a basic belief, theory, or rule that has a major influence on the way in which something is done หลักการ
good governance principle

the wage hike is not in line with the good governance principle as the wage should not be increased by 40%

wages - the amount of money earned per hour by a worker

meanwhile, a group of workers from seven factories hit by last year's flooding yesterday sought help from the Labour Ministry saying they had not received their wages since October. 

Sompon Puangchan, 33, leader of the Seidai Kasei (Thailand) company's labour union, said the company had neither paid wages to 159 workers nor called them to work since October.

clear - easy to understand
clear answer - an easy to understand answer

firm - a business or company บริษัท
employment - having a paid job

terminate - to end or stop something ทำให้สิ้นสุด
contracts - a written agreement
terminate contract - end agreement

abide - to follow an agreement, rule, law, decision, etc. ทำตาม
abide by the labour law - follow the labour law

compensation - money that someone receives because something bad has happened to them;  money paid for some loss or damage เงินชดเชย
employees' service years - the number of years that an employee has worked for a company
compensation based on employees' service years

wost workers wanted a clear answer from the firm regarding their employment. If the firm wanted to terminate their work contracts, it must abide by the labour law to pay wages and compensation based on employees' service years

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