The Social Security Office's (SSO) labour union is pushing for improvements in compensation and work-related benefits for non-civil servant employees, citing that they work just as hard as their civil servant counterparts.
The union is asking that everyone be treated equally when it comes to salaries and benefits.
Sasalak Sasbancha, president of the SSO's labour union, said Friday that about 4,000 non-civil servant staff members work for the SSO along with civil servant employees.
As most, if not all, non-civil servant SSO staff members are struggling to cope with the costs of living due to capped pay scales and limited work benefits. Meanwhile, their civil servant counterparts are enjoying full benefits and better pay, Mr Sasalak said.
To make matters worse, a number of senior non-civil servant SSO staff members have not received salary hikes since 2016 when they reached the ceiling of their pay scale, he said.
Also, non-civil servant SSO employees who have retired within the past three years have not received any pension payments.
Each year between 30 and 40 non-civil servant SSO employees retire and this number will continue to swell every year.
Every retiring non-civil servant should receive a one-time pension payout at the time of retiring, Mr Sasalak said, adding that this is an area of work benefits the labour union is fighting for.
The average age of non-civil servants is 40 and their maximum monthly salaries are capped at 26,900 baht. The ratio of non-civil servant SSO staff members to civil servants is 7:10.
And despite the cabinet's Oct 1, 2016 resolution allowing for increases in salaries of non-civil servant SSO employees, the SSO's executives have yet to take any action in line with that decision, according to Mr Sasalak.
Permanent secretary for labour, Jarin Chakkaphark, said a new panel will be set up to look into this matter, while SSO secretary-general, Suradej Waleeittikul, said the SSO is in the process of restructuring its workforce, which is expected to be concluded and forwarded to the SSO's board for approval by August.
Both Mr Jarin and Mr Suradej pledged to ensure non-civil servant SSO employees will receive good work benefits.