Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is confident that a fresh daily minimum wage hike to 400 baht nationwide could be introduced on Oct 1 along with measures to assist affected businesses.
The minister's remarks on Wednesday come amid uncertainty surrounding the upcoming meeting of the tripartite wage committee on Friday, where the proposed 400-baht minimum wage nationwide will be discussed.
The wage committee, comprising employees, employers and the government, met on Monday to push the government's 400-baht minimum wage policy.
However, five employers' representatives did not show up, claiming they had other engagements. A new meeting is scheduled for on Friday to review the wage rise proposal, which will apply to companies or factories with at least 200 workers.
Mr Phiphat said that whether or not the employers' representatives turn up for Friday's meeting, the remaining members will proceed with the debate as a vote of two-thirds of the committee is needed to adopt the 400-baht wage policy.
"I'll do my best to have it implemented and I believe the employers are awaiting the pay rise. I understand the wage increase will affect the employers.
"I came from the business sector, and the companies within our group will be affected significantly. We have about 30,000 employees, and the wage will apply to 20,000 of them. We accept the situation," he said.
Mr Phiphat said he hopes the employers' representatives will attend to discuss the issue. "The limited wage increase is the best option as it would minimise impacts on the businesses, and the Finance Ministry is prepared to roll out relief measures set to be announced on Oct 1," he said.
The minister said he is not concerned if the wage hike is challenged by affected parties in the Administrative Court, and he is prepared to accept the consequences, as the policy is being implemented in good faith.
The business sector has indicated it is not ready for a wage increase. Kriengkrai Thiennukul, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), said on Wednesday the state's representatives should heed suggestions made by the provincial sub-committees on the wage hike.
He said the national wage committee should also take into consideration economic indicators and the country's competitiveness when considering the matter.
Mr Kriengkrai said the FTI has held talks with businesses, and the wage hike may force those already in vulnerable positions to close and affect others' confidence. The FTI chairman also proposed a "pay by skill" solution and called on agencies to upskill workers to meet market demand.
"Half of the industries aren't labour-intensive and are prepared to pay 700-900 baht to skilled workers, except that those are hard to find. We should talk it out and fine-tune [the policy] to avoid it becoming a debate," he said.
Defending the employers' representatives who did not show up on Monday, he said the Sept 16 meeting was called at short notice. Those representatives had other businesses to attend and said they were not available, he said. He denied rumours the employers would skip the meeting.
Raising the daily minimum wage is a key election promise of the Pheu Thai-led government. The government aims to increase the wage to 400 baht during its first year in power and to 600 baht by 2027.
The tripartite committee approved a 400-baht daily wage on March 26, which took effect in parts of 10 provinces on April 13, including Phuket, Koh Samui in Surat Thani, Pattaya in Chon Buri, Chiang Mai City in Chiang Mai, and Pathumwan and Watthana districts in Bangkok. It applied to tourism-related businesses and four-star hotels with at least 50 employees.
