The tripartite committee on minimum daily wages is expected to decide on new rates in each province at its meeting, scheduled to take place on Friday, said Pairoj Chotikasathien, permanent secretary for labour, on Thursday.
The committee comprises representatives of the ministry, employers and employees.
From figures concluded by a sub-committee under this main wage committee on Nov 27, the expected wage hike still varies from province to province, said Mr Pairoj.
The main wage committee will finalise these different new wage rates today, which could be higher or lower than those rates proposed by the sub-committee on Nov 27, he said.
The final rates are subject to a final review by the tripartite committee, he said.
As of now, he said, a proposed new daily wage from two provinces has not been received yet, meaning that these two provinces might not want to raise their minimum daily wage, or their new proposed rate is still on the way. He did not disclose the names of the two provinces.
Details of new wage rates in all provinces will then be announced only when they are finalised, he said.
This round of minimum wage adjustment has attracted more public attention than usual after the ruling Pheu Thai Party announced a policy to raise the minimum wage to the same rate of 400 baht per day, a promise the party made during the last general election, said a source.
Considering the past outcome of discussions between the main wage committee and the Ministry of Labour, the promised 400-baht rate, however, is unlikely to be honoured, at least in this new wage adjustment, said the source.
Last year, the tripartite wage committee approved new wage rates, which were a 5.02% rise on average, effective Oct 1, 2022, said the source.
The highest rate was 354 baht per day, while the lowest one was 328 baht, said the source.
The highest hike of 22 baht was at the time approved for six provinces, namely Bangkok, Nonthaburi, Nakhon Pathom, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan and Samut Sakhon, while the northern province of Nan and northeastern province of Udon Thani adopted the lowest rise of 8 baht, said the same source.