Full injury compensation denied
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How much are your limbs worth? A 25-year-old Myanmar migrant worker told The Nation he was given only Bt95,000 in compensation for his severed right hand, although he deserved Bt300,000 according to labour laws.
Before getting the money, Lin lived in fear for months over the conflict with his former Thai employer involving his compensation.
The man from Sagaing Region in Myanmar lost his hand and part of his arm when a machine crushed them three years ago while he worked at a plastic factory in Samut Sakhon.
“At first, the employer paid the hospital the medical bill for me and Bt2,000 compensation before I quit the job. Fortunately, a Myanmar interpreter at the hospital told me to seek help from the Human Rights and Development Foundation (HRDF) to contact a social security office in the Mahachai area of Samut Sakhon to force the employer to pay the full compensation according to labour laws,” Lin said.
“Once the employer saw a letter demanding the factory to pay me the compensation of Bt300,000, he told police to chase me as I did not have any personal documents with me. My work permit and personal papers were kept at the factory. I was scared of them, so I had to hide and stay with staff of the foundation while I was broke,” he said.
Over 10 months, the employer and the HRDF negotiated the compensation many times. The employer offered to pay Lin only Bt30,000, but finally agreed to increase the amount to Bt95,000.
“I decided to end the problem by accepting only Bt95,000 because I didn’t want to burden the HRDF with my problems for a long time. The HRDF also shouldered my living expenses at that time,” he said.
“To make myself feel better, I thought of it as my karma [consequences of deeds from past lives].”
Many more Myanmar workers have faced a similar fate of being given unfair compensation for their lost limbs by employers.
According to the HRDF, three workers with missing limbs lodge complaints to the foundation about unfair compensation per month.
Now, Lin is working for a Thai merchant, selling rice to Myanmar migrant workers in Mahachai.
Despite sacrificing his hand, Lin continues working here as he can earn a better income and hopes to save a lot of money to take back home someday.
