Oxfam in Thailand is calling on employers in the fishing industry to provide their workers with a monthly wage to help ensure their quality of life during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Chakchai Comthongdee, a campaign coordinator for Oxfam, said since most workers in the fishing industry are paid a daily wage, many do not earn any income on their days off.
While the workers are assured a minimum wage as specified by the law, Mr Chakchai said they should be paid monthly, which would allow the workers to plan ahead and improve their quality of life.
The lack of a monthly wage, he said, has made it almost impossible for many workers to afford quality food and medicine.
"They have been struggling to make ends meet while their employers, major seafood producers, are making billions each year," he said.
The Covid-19 pandemic has made the situation worse, as many businesses were forced to keep their boats from going out to sea, or even close down operations entirely, depriving the workers of any income, he said.
Mr Chakchai made the call during a live online seminar entitled "The hard life of fishing workers during Covid-19", organised by The Reporter group on Facebook.
Suthasinee Kaewleklai, of the Migrant Workers Rights Network, said the transmission of Covid-19 is often inevitable workers in the industry have to stay close to each other to maintain workflow.
The lack of a monthly wage also created a disincentive for at-risk and infected workers to quarantine themselves in a safe location, as workers in isolation will effectively have no income.
Only workers registered in the social security system are protected by the state, which would guarantee 50% of their income for 90 days under such circumstances. Those who are not in the system, however, cannot ask anything from their employers despite the law giving them the right to paid sick leave.
Ms Suthasinee said she agrees with the call for a monthly wage, as daily payouts have proven to be insufficient for workers even under normal situations. Many have been forced to to take out loans, both from legal and illegal lenders, to make ends meet during the pandemic, after losing their income due to virus curbs, she said.