A Move Forward Party (MFP) labour network will submit its draft for a new Labour Protection Act to the House today as the current law has been in place for 26 years and has never been changed.
The network, and some MFP MPs, held a public relations event at a skywalk bridge near BTS Chong Nonsi Station on Friday regarding the proposed bill.
According to the MFP's website, the current welfare system and labour protection mechanisms do not provide enough coverage for 39 million labourers.
Poor system coverage has led to many burdens and injustices that labourers have to face daily, including low pay, working instability, dangerous working environments and working overtime without compensation.
The MFP edition of the bill promises to give legal protection to all labourers while improving their welfare so that it is in line with contemporary expectations.
Its draft expands the definition of the word "labourer" to cover all types of employment, including jobs that were excluded from the 1998 edition, such as delivery riders, freelancers, and independent labourers.
The draft demands employers pay their employees every 30 days, including weekends, holidays and during sick leave.
It also demanded that employers automatically raise the salary every year without waiting for results from a trilateral discussion.
The rise rate should also be higher than the inflation rate.
The draft specifies that a labourer's maximum working hours be 40 hours per week, or eight hours a day. Hours that exceed this should be paid as overtime. Workers will have 10 annual leave days and 15 days for family caretaking duties.
The draft also urges workplaces to have a breastfeeding facility and prohibits any workplace discrimination, including those based on race, physical appearance and political opinion.
The MFP says the changes are expected to improve labourers' quality of life.