Group rallies for booze free factories
Factory workers yesterday urged Industry Minister Wannarat Channukul to issue legislation banning the sale and consumption of alcohol in factories round the clock because they said alcoholism was affecting workers' health and performance at work.
Jadet Chaowilai, director of Women and Men Progressive Movement Foundation, led a team of workers to submit a request for the ban as well as encourage the minister to make it an ISO standard requirement to keep factories free of alcohol. Citing a study conducted by the foundation last year, Jadet said all of the 604 factory workers questioned said they knew about the adverse impacts of drinking, especially in terms of domestic violence. In addition, it was found that 24.4 per cent of the workers spent more than Bt1,000 on alcoholic drinks and that many could not go to work the next day. More than 60 per cent of the workers said they could buy alcoholic beverages at any time.
Wannarat said that he agreed with the group’s suggestions and that they were in line with the ministry’s policy to “green” factories that are environmentallyfriendly, use green energy and promote workers’ health and welfare.
