Pattani station boss defends huge OT bill

Pattani station boss defends huge OT bill

Possible to work 24 hours a day, he insists

The station master got 100,000 baht in overtime waiting for trains here. (Screen cap via YouTube/logical)
The station master got 100,000 baht in overtime waiting for trains here. (Screen cap via YouTube/logical)

A station master who clocked up a 100,000 baht overtime payment in one month insists he has been working 24 hours a day, but with breaks.

Netizens have questioned how he could possibly have worked the number of hours claimed in his pay slip, released on social media, which has prompted a government inquiry.

Pattani station master Amnart Phuket said: "I did work 24 hours a day, it is true. But the train does not come to the station all the time. The station master can rest during the intervals."

Mr Amnart's pay stub showed the railway agency paid the station chief a salary of 61,210 baht and another 102,271 baht for overtime work in May. The overtime was for 401 hours of work outside regular hours, or about 13 hours a day on average. It showed the official worked 15 hours and 30 minutes of overtime for 21 consecutive days.

Mr Amnart was working at Pattani station. He said it was possible to clock 24 hours overtime pay. "I rest inside the station and am ready for work all the time," he said.

Transport Minister Arkhom Termpittayapaisith has previously ordered a probe into the 100,000 baht overtime payment to the station master. The payment was excessive, especially since the State Railway of Thailand (SRT) is looking to cut unnecessary costs, Deputy Transport Minister Pichit Akrathit said Wednesday.

"The ministry has the policy to control costs, improve the transport routes and examine alleged irregularities and corruption. The ministry expects to see the findings in two weeks," he said.

Mr Amnart said: "I want to tell people that currently there are repair works being carried out between Hat Yai to Sungai Kolol station. The workers will do the job after the last train of the day until six in the morning the next day. The station master is assigned to oversee the area when the workers come to the site during that time."

He said that there was a shortage of station masters in the three southernmost provinces. Most stations there have only one responsible person. He said: "I volunteered to do OT work."

The SRT officials also said the high overtime payment is necessary to keep the operation running.

The SRT is repairing the rail tracks in the three deep southern provinces which are prone to security conflicts. This was why the SRT asked the station master to work overtime.

SRT deputy governor Thanongsak Pongprasert said the station had only one staff member and the station master had to oversee contractors to repair the rail track.

"It does not necessarily mean he had to be present there all the time. But he could clock OT pay because he was the person who would be held responsible if anything happened," he said.

Araya Pinthadit, the SRT director for railway operations, said the overtime covered 401 hours because the STR asked the station master to work overtime for one month in May to speed up the repairs.

Mr Araya said the station master was the only staff member at the station and spent time outside regular working hours, often through the night, to check and repair tracks.

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