Labour reps march against employee rights violations

Labour reps march against employee rights violations

Labour advocates call for a better deal for workers before joining a rally march from the Victory Monument to the United Nations office on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Chanat Katanyu
Labour advocates call for a better deal for workers before joining a rally march from the Victory Monument to the United Nations office on Ratchadamnoen Avenue. Chanat Katanyu

About 500 labour representatives hit the streets of Bangkok Sunday to convey their concerns about growing unemployment and finding a sustainable solution to labour rights violation.

The rally-goers, led by Sawit Kaewkarn, chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, marched from the Democracy Monument to the United Nations building on Ratchadamnoen Avenue where they submitted a labour rights petition with the International Labour Organisation (ILO).

The group demanded that Thailand ratify ILO Conventions 87 and 98.

The first convention relates to the right of labourers to form groups without needing state permission and hence prevents the government from interfering with their domestic and international activities.

The second convention involves the right of workers to collectively negotiate with employers which protects employees against unfair treatment or dismissal resulting from their involvement in the negotiations.

During the march, the demonstrators held placards calling for tighter labour protection rights.

Mr Sawit also released a statement on behalf of the group calling for the government to be prepared for the more than 10 million people who could lose their jobs due the "Thailand 4.0" initiative which promotes the use of innovation and technology in the workplace endangering manual labour.

According to the statement, despite changes in production processes, labour rights are still being suppressed and this infraction is getting more severe. It added that laws, government policies, and other mechanisms have failed to protect the workers -- both in the formal and informal sectors.

The group also appealed to the government to adopt international agreements which would help protect labour rights and review violations quickly in order to prevent a repeat of the same in the future.

Another rally-goer, Thananpon Boromsom, who represents a labour union in Saraburi, said most of the workers in the union are hired under a one-year contract, leaving them entitled only to a daily minimum wage and access to the Social Security Fund.

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