Govt vows fair hearing for FTI proposals
The government is willing to listen to proposals put forward by the Federation of Thai Industries, including the postponement of the Bt300 minimum wage in 70 provinces for another two years, acting government spokesman Anusorn Iamsa-ard said yesterday.
In an e-mail to media, Anusorn also said Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra’s official visit to China and her participation in the Mekong River Basin leaders’ meeting with Japanese officials in Tokyo last week were successful, as they promoted cooperation in various spheres including railway, energy, communications, agriculture and Mekong River patrols. He said Thailand and China wanted to see the value of trade and investment in the Mekong region exceed US$100 billion (Bt3.09 trillion) in 2015, up from $65 billion in 2011.
Regarding the Thai business sector’s nine-point proposal, which included the minimum wage postponement to 2015 and the establishment of a Bt10 billion-Bt20 billion fund to provide low-interest loans to SMEs, Anusorn thanked FTI president Payoongsak Chartsuttipol for working closely with the government on the recommendations. The government was willing to listen because the industrial sector had helped push the Thai economy forward, he said.
However, he added that the government thought its Bt300 minimum wage policy would keep the labour sector competitive with other countries while helping workers. Saying the government sympathised with all sides, he urged the rich to sympathise with labourers, too.
