Workers deserve unemployment benefits

 In her note, she said that the benefits should be extended to the workers whose employers suspend operations in light of natural or man-made disasters.

"The suspension is not driven by workers' negligence or laziness, but by factors beyond the workers or their employers' control," she said. 
 Under the existing unemployment benefit structure, introduced 7 years ago, a worker earning Bt200 a day must contribute Bt30 a month to the scheme. Plus Bt30 contribution from employers and Bt15 from the government, the total contribution to the scheme is Bt75 a month or Bt900 a year.
 "Workers who have contributed to the fund for seven years (totalling Bt6,300) deserve the benefits, unless their employers maintain the employment contracts and salary payment despite operations suspension," she said. 
 She said that such payment is possible with the issuance of a ministerial regulation and it is within the Social Security Fund's ability, given the Bt60 billion accumulated fund.
 The social security network covers 17,000 factories and about 800,000 workers in Pathum Thani and Ayutthaya. On assumption that 200,000 workers are affected by the disaster, the 30-day unemployment benefits would cost about Bt600 million.
 She also lamented that the fund now pays the benefits to workers who voluntarily quit their jobs. During 2004-2009, benefits to the workers in this category amounted to Bt5.6 billion (through 2.3 million request forms), against Bt6.7 billion (1.6 million request forms) paid out to workers whose jobs are terminated.
 Should this benefit end, she said it would save the fund's money and reduce the operating cost.