The Labour Ministry will hasten registration of nearly 170,000 undocumented migrant labourers across the country in a bid to legalise them by the middle of next month.
Labour Minister Adul Sangsingkeo said Thursday the ministry's one-stop service (OSS) centres would have 169,517 migrant workers from Cambodia, Laos and Myanmar legally registered by June 15, half a month before the June 30 deadline.
Pol Gen Adul made the comments after being briefed on OSS centre operations during a meeting with labour authorities from the three neighbouring countries yesterday. Aside from registration, Pol Gen Adul said around 66,803 migrant labourers would also be required to undergo a nationality verification process which would be conducted by authorities from their home country.
Of these 66,803 labourers, 54,000 are Cambodian nationals. However, only 2,500 individuals from Cambodia can undergo the verfication process each day. Of the total, 8,000 are from Laos, of which 300 can be processed each day and 4,000 are from Myanmar, of which 500 can be processed per day.
Pol Gen Adul said Thai employers that did not have their migrant workers registered with the centres risked delaying the legalisation process. If employers wait until the last minute as the deadline draws near, there will be congestion at the centres.
"Many employers and migrants are careless and believe the deadline will be extended. I insist there will be no extension because we [the ministry's OSS centres] have provided service at full capacity over the past months," he said.
Pol Gen Adul said that starting from July 1, legal action would be pursued against both employers and undocumented migrants. Labourers will face a fine of 5,000 to 50,000 baht while employers will face a fine of 10,000 to 100,000 baht per worker.
Repeat offences by employers will result in a fine of 50,000 to 200,000 baht per worker, a jail term of not more than one year and a three-year ban on being allowed to employ foreigners.
Commenting on the registration of migrant workers, a Myanmar labour official said his authorities can accommodate up to 500 workers per day for the verification process. Despite this, only 100 Myanmar migrants come to the centres each day.