Two new courts are to be established in Samut Prakan and Rayong to deal with the mounting number of legal cases concerning labour disputes, according to the Office of the Judiciary.
The two provinces are home to large clusters of industries and need new courts to handle proceedings stemming from such disputes.
The cabinet approved the Office's proposals to establish the two labour courts this week, said deputy government spokesman Karom Polpornklang on Wednesday.
He said the cabinet also approved for the Regional Provincial Courts 1 and 2, currently deliberating labour cases in Samut Prakan and Rayong, to relinquish their duties and allow the new courts to take over once they are up and running.
Mr Karom said the sheer workload in handling labour disputes in the two provinces had overwhelmed the Regional Provincial Courts 1 and 2, which caused many trials to be delayed.
An amendment to the Labour Court Establishment and Court Proceedings Act makes the establishment of new courts possible.
Mr Karom said the new courts would speed up the deliberation of labour trials and administer justice promptly. Manpower will be distributed efficiently to accommodate the work and pressure in the two courts.
Labour courts are designated as specialised courts, requiring court staff specialising in the field to implement specific adjudication processes.
He said it is only proper that the new courts be launched to bolster public confidence in the standards of administrative justice.
In the first three years of operation, the Samut Prakan court is expected to incur costs of 63 million baht in staff expenses, 10 million baht for organisational management and 363 million baht for investments and other expenditures. The court will function with six justice officials and 24 clerical officials.
As for the Rayong court, the first three years of opening will involve 55 million baht in staff costs, eight million baht in organisational management costs and 11 million baht in investments and building expenses. The court will have four justice officials and 24 clerical officials.
