The National Reform Council (NRC) has urged the government to hasten the establishment of a national pension fund for casual workers.
The demand came after NRC members yesterday voted unanimously to back a report on an income guarantee for the elderly issued by a committee on social reform concerning communities, children, women, aging people, the disabled and the underprivileged.
The committee, chaired by Ampol Jindawattana, proposed the government accelerate forming the fund to comply with the 2011 National Savings Fund Act, which stipulates a national pension fund should be set up for casual workers.
The Yingluck Shinawatra government shelved the idea, saying the national savings fund overlapped with the Social Security Fund, which provides pensions for workers in the informal sector.
But the panel said the cabinet must be told to carry out work immediately in line with the act and should ignore the old objections.
Dr Ampol said backers had pushed the policy for four years, but the change in government had stalled it, resulting in the postponement of applications for fund membership.
The committee agreed the delay has affected casual workers and the period they will be able to make contributions, which could result in lower contributions to the fund.
The delay has also caused opportunity loss for up to 12 million casual workers aged over 50, Dr Ampol said.
Under the act, pensions will be paid to the elderly, who contributed to the fund from the age of 15 to 60, until they die.
The recipients cannot also draw the old age pension paid out by the Social Security Fund, to avoid duplication of payments.
NRC member Jermsak Pinthong, who threw his support behind the fund, said these days there is no guarantee children will be able to support their elderly parents.
If Thailand fails to push ahead with the national savings fund, the country would be in trouble, he warned.
The country would also suffer a fiscal crisis due to low tax collection, he said.