Padermchai rejects wage compo request

News > Local News

Padermchai rejects wage compo request

Employers must bear pay hike costs alone

Published: 5 Jan 2013 at 02.20
Online news: Local News

The government has ruled out setting up a 50-billion-baht fund to help businesses cope with the recent minimum wage hike.

Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap said Friday the government had rejected a request from the private sector to set up the compensation fund using public money.Mr Padermchai made the comments yesterday after meeting Deputy Prime Minister and Finance Minister Kittiratt Na-Ranong at Government House.The daily minimum wage was increased to 300 baht nationwide on Tuesday. The policy has been in place in seven pilot provinces, including Bangkok, since April last year. Labour Minister Padermchai Sasomsap (Photo by Pattanapong Hirunard) The government still wants at least three months to assess the consequences of the nationwide policy, at which point it will reconsider measures to help businesses, Mr Padermchai said.The joint committee of the Federation of Thai Industries, the Chamber of Commerce, and the Thai Bankers' Association had proposed the compensation fund to help ease the impacts of the wage hike. The committee argued that small and medium-sized businesses (SMEs) would be particularly hard-hit by higher labour costs, and needed government help.The fund was one of 27 measures which the committee proposed to help ease the wage rise burden.Mr Padermchai said the...

This article is older than 60 days, which we reserve for our premium members only.You can subscribe to our premium member subscription, here.

Forum

Your comments

flooding
Post : 16
Send message

Discussion 17 : 05 Jan 2013 at 15.0017
Post this to my Facebook
You do not raise wages when orders are declining, it is business fundamental and economic 101 logic. My orders are declining. I am in the red. I am willing to close business and let go of 300 workers. I am in auto and electronics business. Affected because of the flood. Did not get my insurance money and yet waiting for the economic boom government is talking about. I am willing to let go of 300 workers. I am not willing to wait anymore and lose money for the workers benefit.
Like dislike 27 people liked / 3 people disliked this comment
wakeup
Post : 760
Send message

Discussion 16 : 05 Jan 2013 at 14.5816
Post this to my Facebook
#9 Have you met a minimum wage worker? They have little to no education - that is their problem. They are exploited because they have no where else to go, nothing else to do because the education system has sabotaged their full potential. Fix education, and everything else falls into place. Wage raising is a cheap populist trick and in the long run will hurt everyone.
Like dislike 29 people liked / 3 people disliked this comment
wakeup
Post : 760
Send message

Discussion 15 : 05 Jan 2013 at 14.5415
Post this to my Facebook
When you artificially raise wages - all that will happen is inflation, which in turn neutralizes any benefit minimal wage workers ever hoped to get. PTP's hope is that their voters are so ignorant they cannot understand this. If you want to improve the lot of poorly paid workers, improve their education and skills, invest in technology, and make it easier for them to start their own businesses.
Like dislike 34 people liked / 3 people disliked this comment
supermax
Post : 321
Send message

Discussion 14 : 05 Jan 2013 at 14.2514
Post this to my Facebook
"The government has ruled out setting up a 50-billion-baht fund to help businesses cope with the recent minimum wage hike"

Government is right. If factory owner cannot pay 300 Bahts to his employees, shame to him. Better to close his slavery place... With one day off per week, peopple work 26 days a month, that means 7,800 bahts as minimum salary... How can you enjoy with so few bahts. The government has to be strong and put in jail all business owners who give less than 300 bahts per eight hours working per day...
Like dislike 6 people liked / 27 people disliked this comment
blobber
Post : 305
Send message

Discussion 13 : 05 Jan 2013 at 14.0113
Post this to my Facebook
Discussion 9.
So every business owner is rich and drives a Mercedes. You need to get out of the ricefield and have a look at the real world. Stop thinking about this in terms of class warfare as you always do and open your eyes to reality.
Like dislike 34 people liked / 3 people disliked this comment
thailife69
Post : 106
Send message

Discussion 12 : 05 Jan 2013 at 12.0912
Post this to my Facebook
Finally slavery comes to an end in Thailand.
Like dislike 8 people liked / 29 people disliked this comment
HowIWish
Post : 141
Send message

Discussion 11 : 05 Jan 2013 at 11.5911
Post this to my Facebook
Hear Hear to everyone who has received an increase! Business owners already seeking a Government handout of 50 billion-baht?? 7 pilot provinces already trialling since April, with changes and input been given, seems pretty fair at this stage. But let's not see any 'compensation freebies'handed out without factual evidence of hardship or possible bankruptcy first. Re-alignment of company vision, goals and plans is a better starting point.
Like dislike 7 people liked / 10 people disliked this comment
bikeme
Post : 1,123
Send message

Discussion 10 : 05 Jan 2013 at 10.1110
Post this to my Facebook
I see the Yingluck touch - form a committee to study the situation and we will let you know later.
Like dislike 41 people liked / 3 people disliked this comment
ricefield
Post : 2,378
Send message

Discussion 9 : 05 Jan 2013 at 09.429
Post this to my Facebook
Disc 4 - Could you live on 300 Bt a day? Not likely. Businesses have been exploiting workers for decades. If the owner can drive a Mercedes to work his workers should at least be able to afford to ride the bus. Pure greed is what the complaining is all about from business nothing else.
Like dislike 29 people liked / 40 people disliked this comment
dao
Post : 4,657
Send message

Discussion 8 : 05 Jan 2013 at 09.348
Post this to my Facebook
Nothing like rampant inflation to offset wage increases .Great but not .Not every business owner drives a Mercedes and is disgustingly rich but you don't hear about them as they quietly go out of business and leave .
Like dislike 45 people liked / 5 people disliked this comment

First Previous 1 2 3 Next Last

Padermchai rejects wage compo request | Bangkok Post: news