Group kicks up fuss over job losses

Group kicks up fuss over job losses

A group of subcontracted workers on Monday called on the government to intervene over unfair termination of their employment during the Covid-19 pandemic.

The group claim many were asked to take leave only to find out there was no job for them when they returned. Others allege they were forced to choose between quitting or being reassigned to another province.

Anong, a 52-year-old former worker at a stationery factory in Ayutthaya, told the Bangkok Post that she was told by her employer to take leave in late April until early May as a substitute for the cancelled Songkran holiday.

She said she did not suspect anything and returned to work on May 5 only to find that she could not clock in.

"I was advised to apply for unemployment benefits. And when I checked my status online, I was shocked to learn that the records showed that I had quit my job!" Anong said.

Mod, another subcontracted worker in an auto-parts company based in Chachoengsao province, said she and 10 others were asked to resign.

"We were told to tender our resignations or we would be moved to work in a farm in Nakhon Ratchasima," she said.

Ms Mod said she was unfairly treated because she would not get any compensation as she would have technically resigned and relocating to another province was too much for her family.

"Subcontracted workers are second-class workers. We don't have the power to negotiate," she said.

Do you like the content of this article?
COMMENT