Labour union in uproar over Exat's bid to escape BEM lawsuits

Labour union in uproar over Exat's bid to escape BEM lawsuits

Exat labour union ask the cabinet to delay its board's decision. (Bangkok Post file photo)
Exat labour union ask the cabinet to delay its board's decision. (Bangkok Post file photo)

The Expressway Authority of Thailand (Exat) labour union will ask the cabinet to delay its consideration of the Exat board's decision to extend concessions to Bangkok Expressway and Metro Plc (BEM) for over 30 years.

The deal would see court-ordered compensation of 4.3-billion-baht for contractual violations, as well as other lawsuits, dropped.

Yuwathisa Thanyacharoen, vice-president of the state enterprise's labour union, said the employees are opposed to the proposed extended concessions.

They plan to submit a petition to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to withhold a decision until a new government is in place.

According to Ms Yuwathisa, there is no clear evidence that Exat will benefit from extending BEM's concessions to operate Si Rat Expressway, Section D of the expressway between Rama IX Road to Srinakarin, and the Bang Pa-in to Pak Kret Expressway for 30 years.

The extended concessions are valued at 300 billion baht while damages from the lawsuits could be worth 130 billion baht, she said, noting that only one dispute worth 4.3 billion baht was finalised by the court and the rest have yet to be heard.

The dispute involved Exat's construction of an expressway that runs parallel to the BEM-built and operated Bang Pa-in-Pak Kret Expressway.

Exat board chairman Surong Bulakul said yesterday the concession extension proposal will be submitted to the board on June 4 then forwarded to the Transport Ministry for further action.

It is not known when the matter is likely to reach cabinet.

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