No immediate increase in daily wage, workers told
Labour Minister Chatu Mongol Sonakul said on Wednesday that raising the minimum daily labour wage to Bt400 as promised by some coalition parties could not be implemented immediately but would first need to be considered by the tripartite national wage committee.
He added that the wage hike would have an impact on many sectors and affect both employers and the macroeconomy.
He personally supports the wage hike for all workers but feels it should be done in increments.
Various political parties proposed minimum wage hikes during the election campaign, among them the pro-junta Phalang Pracharat Party, which promised to bump up the daily wage to Bt400-Bt425.
In March the Federation of Thai Industry (FTI) urged the incoming government to work more closely with the private sector in crafting key economic policies, stating that further hikes in the minimum wage – a policy proposed by several political parties – would hurt the low-income sector and be harmful to the economy.
