By Penchan Charoensuthipan
Labour leaders are disappointed over the Central Wage Committee’s decision yesterday to raise daily minimum wages at widely varied increments across the country, each between two and 11 baht.
Wilaiwan sae Tia, president of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, viewed the higher rise for Bangkok and neighbouring provinces as the committee’s bid to defuse pressure from labour organisations that are most active in pressuring for minimum wage increases in those provinces.
She said the wage hike decision was not in line with workers’ actual living costs that continued to soar.
Fuel and commodity prices were increasing at about the same rates in every province, she said, but the minimum wages in certain provinces were raised by only two or three baht.
‘‘How can those who receive two or three baht in a wage increase survive amid tough economic conditions like these?’’ she said.
The tripartite wage committee yesterday agreed to raise daily minimum wages across the country by between two and 11 baht in each province from June 1 onward.
The minimum wage in Chiang Rai got the highest increment of 11 baht to 157 baht a day.
For Bangkok and neighbouring provinces — Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom — Saraburi, Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani, the hike was nine baht. The wage for Bangkok and nearby provinces will rise to 203 baht. Provinces with the lowest raise of two baht are Sukhothai to 151 baht, Uttaradit to 149 baht and Chaiyaphum to 148 baht.
Ms Wilaiwan said the increment in every province should be at least five to seven baht. She insisted the minimum wage that allows workers to live without difficulty is 233 baht a day, and workers in all provinces should earn the same minimum wage.
Ms Wilaiwan added, however, she is satisfied with the nine-baht increase for Bangkok and nearby provinces.
Chuthatawat Indrasukhsri, chairman of the wage committee and labour permanent secretary, said the minimum wage rise in Chiang Rai was the highest because it was not increased in the last wage adjustment. But Sukhothai, Uttaradit and Chaiyaphum got the lowest increment of two baht due to the provinces’ lower inflation and cost of living.
He said members of the committee considered the wage increases based on the assumed average inflation rate of 5% on the condition there would not be another hike at the end of the year if the inflation rate remained at its present level.
Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan says the country’s inflation in April hit a two-year high of 6.2%, driven by high oil and food prices.
Lae Dilokvidhayarat, labour economist at Chulalongkorn University, echoed Ms Wilaiwan’s call for the same wage hike nationwide, reasoning that workers in the capital and in provincial areas live the same lifestyles.
However, Worawan Chanduaywit, chief social security researcher at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said she agreed with the wage committee’s decision to vary the increase in the minimum wage depending on the different provinces.
Still, she thought the hike in Bangkok and adjacent provinces was inadequate to cope with the rising cost of living.
She said the TDRI believed Thai businesses still have the potential to cope with higher labour costs, adding that most operators have already anticipated high inflation rates this year.
Wage increases would not hinder foreign investment in Thailand, she said.
‘‘They [foreign investors] aren’t afraid of a wage hike. Instead, they are more afraid of workers’ strikes,’’ she said.
Thawee Techatheerawat, secretarygeneral of the Labour Congress of Thailand, said the nine-baht hike is not enough for workers as the cost of living is still higher than their new wage.
But the raise would at least help ease workers’ financial difficulties, he said.
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Labour leaders are disappointed over the Central Wage Committee’s decision yesterday to raise daily minimum wages at widely varied increments across the country, each between two and 11 baht.
Wilaiwan sae Tia, president of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, viewed the higher rise for Bangkok and neighbouring provinces as the committee’s bid to defuse pressure from labour organisations that are most active in pressuring for minimum wage increases in those provinces.
She said the wage hike decision was not in line with workers’ actual living costs that continued to soar.
Fuel and commodity prices were increasing at about the same rates in every province, she said, but the minimum wages in certain provinces were raised by only two or three baht.
‘‘How can those who receive two or three baht in a wage increase survive amid tough economic conditions like these?’’ she said.
The tripartite wage committee yesterday agreed to raise daily minimum wages across the country by between two and 11 baht in each province from June 1 onward.
The minimum wage in Chiang Rai got the highest increment of 11 baht to 157 baht a day.
For Bangkok and neighbouring provinces — Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Nakhon Pathom — Saraburi, Chiang Mai and Ubon Ratchathani, the hike was nine baht. The wage for Bangkok and nearby provinces will rise to 203 baht. Provinces with the lowest raise of two baht are Sukhothai to 151 baht, Uttaradit to 149 baht and Chaiyaphum to 148 baht.
Ms Wilaiwan said the increment in every province should be at least five to seven baht. She insisted the minimum wage that allows workers to live without difficulty is 233 baht a day, and workers in all provinces should earn the same minimum wage.
Ms Wilaiwan added, however, she is satisfied with the nine-baht increase for Bangkok and nearby provinces.
Chuthatawat Indrasukhsri, chairman of the wage committee and labour permanent secretary, said the minimum wage rise in Chiang Rai was the highest because it was not increased in the last wage adjustment. But Sukhothai, Uttaradit and Chaiyaphum got the lowest increment of two baht due to the provinces’ lower inflation and cost of living.
He said members of the committee considered the wage increases based on the assumed average inflation rate of 5% on the condition there would not be another hike at the end of the year if the inflation rate remained at its present level.
Commerce Minister Mingkwan Sangsuwan says the country’s inflation in April hit a two-year high of 6.2%, driven by high oil and food prices.
Lae Dilokvidhayarat, labour economist at Chulalongkorn University, echoed Ms Wilaiwan’s call for the same wage hike nationwide, reasoning that workers in the capital and in provincial areas live the same lifestyles.
However, Worawan Chanduaywit, chief social security researcher at Thailand Development Research Institute (TDRI), said she agreed with the wage committee’s decision to vary the increase in the minimum wage depending on the different provinces.
Still, she thought the hike in Bangkok and adjacent provinces was inadequate to cope with the rising cost of living.
She said the TDRI believed Thai businesses still have the potential to cope with higher labour costs, adding that most operators have already anticipated high inflation rates this year.
Wage increases would not hinder foreign investment in Thailand, she said.
‘‘They [foreign investors] aren’t afraid of a wage hike. Instead, they are more afraid of workers’ strikes,’’ she said.
Thawee Techatheerawat, secretarygeneral of the Labour Congress of Thailand, said the nine-baht hike is not enough for workers as the cost of living is still higher than their new wage.
But the raise would at least help ease workers’ financial difficulties, he said.
Discuss
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