Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour Police General Adul Saengsingkeaw, showed concern about the Covid-19 situation. He chaired a meeting to clarify the guidelines for the Covid-19 pandemic control operations among the workforce in Samut Sakhon, suggesting relevant units integrate to solve the issues urgently.
On December 22, 2020, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour Police General Adul Saengsingkeaw reported the Covid-19 pandemic situation in Samut Sakhon. He said that the Senate Labour Committee is concerned about the workforce in the current situation. Therefore, he invited the Ministry of Labour representatives to a meeting today to clarify operational guidelines for controlling the Covid-19 outbreak among the workforce in Samut Sakhon. The Senate Labour Committee will use the information to advise the relevant authorities to further resolve the issue. The Ministry of Labour assigned Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Pairoj Chotikasatian to attend the meeting to clarify the Ministry of Labour’s work in controlling the Covid-19 outbreak among workers. The Deputy Permanent Secretary said that the Ministry of Labour’s Department of Employment and Department of Labour Protection and Welfare had visited the area to clarify and ensure understanding among employers to promote employee knowledge on preventing the spread of Covid-19. In addition, the Ministry of Labour has met and coordinated closely with the Covid-19 Situation Management Center in Samut Sakhon. Most of the organizations are establishments with a large number of employees. Each facility has solid measures to prevent Covid-19.
The Ministry of Labour has deployed additional proactive measures, including establishing a special working group in conjunction with the Royal Thai Police and Immigration Office to check illegal foreign workers. The Social Security Office has worked with medical institutions in the social security network in Samut Sakhon to organize a team of doctors, ambulances, mobile vehicles, and disease examination kiosks to set up in workplaces for employees who fall under the risk of exposure. The initiative allows those screened for Covid-19 infection to get results within 2-3 hours. If the virus is detected, the person will enter the control process as prescribed by the Ministry of Public Health. The Ministry of Labour has issued measures to help those affected by considering unemployment benefits due to force majeure, as the government or state agencies ordered area closures. Employees who are not paid are entitled to 50% of unemployment benefits in the event of unemployment, for not more than 90 days. The measure shall be effective from December 19, 2020, onwards. The Social Security Office will present the measure for approval, and the Labour Minister will give a proposal to the Cabinet for further consideration.
From listening to this approach, the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Labour Police General Adul Saengsingkeaw also made recommendations for solutions to the Covid-19 spread among workers to the agencies involved in solving problems together. This included establishing a special center to resolve the problem, working closely with relevant agencies, and the labour database (Big Data) has been continuously assessed. There was also a proposal to barricade against entry and exit along the border, controlling the spread of the pandemic through public relations, creating awareness of ways for workers to protect themselves from the Covid-19 infection, as well as strict law enforcement.
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Division of Public Relations
22 December 2020
