Labourers bear brunt of Kingdom's economic pain
While the flood crisis has brought suffering and anxiety to large numbers of people in many areas of Thailand, few groups have been as severely affected as the country's labourers after the submerging of seven industrial estates.
Beginning early last month, flood waters gradually inundated Saha Rattana Nakorn Industrial Estate, Rojana Industrial Park, Hi-Tech Industrial Estate, Bangpa-in Industrial Park, Factory Land, Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate and Bangkadi Industrial Park.
Rewat Anantasiri, an employee who was laid off from IntriPlex (Thailand)’s plant at Ayutthaya’s Hi-Tech Industrial Estate, told The Nation: “I was a day labourer for a production unit and worked here for just three months. My wife worked here for five months. We were laid off after the flood hit our workplace. Our employer paid out 75 per cent of the Bt190 [daily wage] from October 21 to November 12, and will pay us 100 per cent [Bt190] plus compensation in two months’ time.”
He said his life had been really hard since he was laid off.
“I have two children. I have to pay my rent in instalments. I haven’t been able to take care of my family properly since the floods began. I don’t have money or a job. I’m 36 years old, so finding a new job is very difficult for me,” Rewat said.
Chamlong Chabamrung, a coordinator of flood-assistance centre at Bangpa-in, said about 15 companies at the industrial estate had laid off their workers. All told, more than 3,000 workers have been laid off by factories at Ayutthaya’s industrial estates, and the number is growing. Some laid-off employees have gone to the assistance centre to register as flood victims and seek other forms of help.
The centre was established by a group of laid-off employees to assist flood victims – especially flood-hit unemployed workers in Ayutthaya – under the supervision of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee.
According to Chamlong, laid-off workers fall into two categories. The first comprises permanent employees. Employers of workers in this group paid out 75 per cent of their salary plus compensation, in line with labour legislation. The second group comprises sub-contracted workers, most of whom have not even been able to contact their bosses.
Some laid-off workers have been luckier.
Chaiyan Sariyan has worked for Sunflag (Thailand) at Ayutthaya’s Rojana Industrial Park for eight years. He said he was given nine months’ salary, while his wife, a 12-year Sunflag employee, was given 13 months’ pay.
The couple have been hit hard by the floods; they have a 15-year-old daughter and an 11-month-old son.
“We will not look for new jobs; we are too old. We will use the money to start a small business,” Chaiyan said.
He said that while he felt fortunate to be compensated, they had not wanted to be laid off.
“We have no choice.”
Viboon Kaewkulsri, personnel manager at Sunflag (Thailand), which makes polyester fibre and yarns, told The Nation the company was forced to lay off many workers, since its factory and machinery were almost completely submerged.
“The water level in our factory was as high as 2.5 metres. Now, it has dropped to about 1 metre. We can’t be sure of when we will restart our business. We have had to lay off more than a half of our 500 workers.”
He said the Indian owner of the company had confirmed that the business would not be closed down, but would be restarted after a period of rehabilitation. The company has paid workers who were not laid off 75 per cent of their salary to tide them over.
