Labour rights advocates have called on the government to ratify two long-awaited International Labour Organisation (ILO) conventions after the private sector demanded they be delayed.
While many employees want the government to ratify the two ILO conventions — aimed at strengthening labour groups and their bargaining power — employers appear pessimistic and have warned against possible problems.
ILO Convention 87 (Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organise) grants labourers the right to form groups without the need for state permission and prevents the government from interfering with their domestic and international activities.
ILO Convention 98 (Right to Organise and Collective Bargaining) allows workers to collectively negotiate with employers and protects workers against unfair treatment and dismissal resulting from involvement in negotiations.
Labour representatives recently expressed concern over the private sector's move to delay the ratification, led by the Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking.
They disagree with the committee which says Thailand is not ready for the conventions, which would afford migrant workers too much power, citing the 3 million already in Thailand.
These comments are "inappropriate and unfounded", said Chalee Loysung, chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, who insisted that the conventions would provide better standards for workers.
During the committee's latest press conference, it pressed the government to delay the ratification, saying negative consequences are inevitable if migrant workers are allowed to join together and bargain for labour rights and benefits.
This would also affect the government's ongoing attempts to register migrant workers, the committee said.
Lae Dilokwitthayarat, a lecturer at Chulalongkorn University's faculty of economics, said the committee is only worried about protecting its own interests.
If migrant workers have more control over their rights, employers will become worried, fearing that they are losing their power over the workforce," he said.
The conventions are useful because many foreign labourers are exploited and not protected by the law, Mr Lae said.
He admitted it would not be easy to make all sectors, including state agencies, agree to the conventions.
The conventions would grant workers the right to bargain with state officials, but, in Thailand, it is not acceptable to bargain with one's superiors, Mr Lae said.
So far, the two ILO conventions have been studied by labour authorities, but to move to the ratification stage, they need to be discussed with state agencies, which are still unsure of their impact.