Six state enterprise unions voice opposition to power FT increase, privatisation
Six state enterprise unions urged the government on Wednesday to reconsider the new electricity tariff and voiced opposition to privatisation of public utility services.
Unions from the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (Egat), the Provincial Electricity Authority (PEA), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority (MEA), the Metropolitan Waterworks Authority, the Provincial Waterworks Authority and the Government Pharmaceutical Organisation (GPO) held a meeting and formed a network of state enterprise workers in the drug, electricity and water sectors and “for the people”.
PEA Union president Kittichai Saisa-ard said the network agreed to campaign to protect the people’s interest related to drug and public utility services.
He said the network would launch its campaign by submitting a letter to the government, asking it to reconsider the new so-called floating time (FT) rate that is used to calculate electricity bills. The government approved the new FT rate in mid-March that would result in an increase of fees starting with Bt4 per unit.
Kittichai said his network would on Thursday submit the letter to Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha asking him to reconsider the FT rate because it would affect the people. Kittichai suggested that instead of increasing the FT rate, Egat should lower the amount of electricity purchased from private power plants to reduce costs.
He said the network agreed on the following demands to be submitted to the government:
- The government must review the FT rate and have state power plants produce more electricity while lowering purchases from private plants.
- The government must not privatise public utilities services but subsidise the costs of state firms.
- The government must support the GPO to produce medicine and vaccines so that people can get access to enough and cheap drugs and vaccines.
- The government must not sell state firms, which are national assets, and should avoid taking any action to weaken these firms.
Kittichai said the network would give the government 15 days.
“If the government does nothing after 15 days, unionists from Egat, the PEA and MEA will descend on Government House to ask about our demands,” he warned.