Stipend for workers of flood-hit companies
Employees whose workplaces have been closed due to the flooding can apply for a special government stipend of Bt2,000 a month for three months.
Somkiat Chayasriwong, permanent secretary of the Labour Ministry, said yesterday that the Cabinet on Tuesday approved Bt600 million to help flood-stricken employers pay reduced salaries to workers who are members of the Social Security Fund. The affected employees number about 100,000.
To be eligible, applicants must have worked for a minimum period of time at a workplace that is on an official list of those in flooded areas that have been closed for at least a month.
Employees found cheating will be required to pay back all the money and answer fraud or document-forgery charges.
Their employers must also sign a pledge to avoid laying them off within the three-month period and to continue paying them a minimum of 75 per cent of their salary.
The ministry could begin payments by the end of this month, but only by cheque so a record can be kept.
The ministry also has two short-term employment schemes to help some 15,000 workers. One is a 20-day contract paying a daily wage of Bt150, and the other is a 10-day on-the-job training course paying a daily allowance of Bt120.
