Employers plan to ask govt to open third round to register illegal foreign workers
The Joint Standing Committee on Commerce, Industry and Banking (JSCCIB) will soon ask the government to hold the third round to register nearly 3 million illegal foreign workers in the country, said Thai Frozen Foods Association president Poj Aramwattananont.
Many employers had not registered workers in the first and second rounds as they did not believe that they would be subjected to harsh punishment, Poj said, adding that now employers were facing a tougher government policy after the Decree on the Management of Foreign Workers Act 2017 came into effect on June 23.
“As this new law came into effect almost immediately, many couldn’t adjust so the JSCCIB wanted the government to grant them some time and then allow a new round at convenient and clear service points,” he said.
The idea stemmed from a JSCCIB meeting on Thursday, which also discussed the current legal requirement for employers to place a Bt20,000 deposit for each foreign worker hired.
Poj said JSCCIB members thought the requirement was too strict and might adversely affect small and medium enterprises as well as the service, tourism, restaurant, agriculture and construction sectors.