Thai retailers plead for hourly staff rate, protections after 12% contraction
The Thai Retailers Association is pleading for government help after Covid-19 sent the retail index plunging from 2.8 per cent growth in 2019 to a deficit of 12 per cent last year – its first ever two-digit contraction.
Association chairman Yol Phokasub asked the government to allow hourly employment in addition to monthly employment in the retail sector. Hourly employment would protect least 52,000 positions and could be expanded to 200,000 in the long term, he said.
Meanwhile the government should grant soft loans to SME operators and farmers, through retail platforms accessible to them, said Yol.
He also urged the government to collect VAT and import duty from imports sold in the e-marketplace in Thailand. The Thai e-commerce market, which is worth around Bt300 billion per year, should be managed to ensure fairness and protection for domestic SMEs, he added.
The association also pushed the government to stimulate the domestic market by focusing on customers with purchasing power. It also urged imposing duties on certain imports, especially lifestyle products.