Most Thai workers unaware of AEC: survey

Most Thai workers unaware of AEC: survey

The vast majority of Thai workers don't understand what the Asean Economic Community is or how it will impact them, according to a recent survey.

The Thai Labour Solidarity Committee surveyed 600 people across eight provinces and found that 400 of them had no idea of what the AEC would entail.Committee chairman Chalee Loysoong said that those who were familiar of the AEC believed it would benefit business operators more than employees. These workers were worried about the increased competition in 2015 when the AEC goes into effect.

Business operators will then be able to relocate to countries with cheap labour costs and abundant manufacturing resources, Mr Chalee said.

The AEC will be a boon for migrant workers as restrictions on employing foreigners will be eased, he added.

The poor standard of English in Thailand will also put domestic workers at a disadvantage once competition heats up, he said.

Also, skilled Thai labourers will be drawn to work in countries that can pay higher wages, which would result in domestic labour shortages, he added.

Mr Chalee said his committee has lodged a request with the Labour Ministry to help Thai workers upgrade their skills and improve their English.

Sawit Kaewwan, secretary of the State Enterprises Workers's Relation Confederation, said the AEC would not benefit Thai workers in any way.

"Following the intensified flow of investment, labour groups must converge to request that state organisations help mitigate the impact on workers," Mr Sawit said, adding that abused migrant workers must be treated equally.

The governments of the 10 Asean member nations must also ratify International Labour Office Conventions No87 and No98 as mechanisms to protect labour rights, he added.

Eight occupational groups _ engineers, nurses, architects, surveyors, accountants, dentists, doctors, as well as tourism jobs_ would be the first to be liberalised under the AEC, said Singhadech Chu-amnart, director of the Bureau of International Cooperation under the Labor Ministry.

However, about 40 more jobs are tied with these initial eight groups, he added.

Mr Singhadech said the workers in those eight groups must also practise their professions in line with the regulations of AEC countries.

For example, foreign doctors seeking to work here must pass the test for medical licensing in the Thai language, he said.

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