Workers mark Labour Day with demand for THB700 minimum wage
Labour representatives gathered on National Labour Day on Phitsanulok Road in Bangkok to demand 700-baht daily wage from the next government.
About a hundred members of the Labour Network for People’s Rights gathered in front of Phitsanulok Mansion, which is the official residence of the prime minister, on Monday morning, while police officers monitored the situation closely.
Rallyists demanded that the new government, expected to be formed after the May 14 general election, would ensure labourers have the right to form a union to negotiate with their employers for better compensation and benefits.
They also demanded that the minimum wage be raised to 700 baht per day, a rate they believe is necessary to allow labourers to survive on their own.
The current minimum wage for non-skilled workers is in the range of 328 to 354 baht per day, depending on the province.
Their other demands include annual salary adjustment that reflects the inflation rate, measures to ensure job security, reform of labour laws, and allowing labourers to take part in constitutional amendments.
Labour rights activist and network member Thanaporn Wichan attacked the government’s economic policies that have resulted in rising inflation, severely affecting low-income labourers. She said the government’s borrowing of money to fund populist policies would result in a spike in public debt that Thais would have to pay off with interest until the next generation.
The protesters then set fire to four straw dummies attached with photos of Prime Minister General Prayut Chan-o-cha, Deputy PM General Prawit Wongsuwan, Interior Minister General Anupong Paochinda, and Labour Minister Suchat Chomklin to signify the funeral of the outgoing government.
