Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned his Advisor to join a conference meeting with heads of government agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Samut Sakhon. The meeting monitored the progress of integrating proactive screening of employees in establishments for COVID-19 and into the treatment process required by the Ministry of Public Health.
On January 11, 2021, at 16.00 hours, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin assigned Advisor to the Labour Minister Mrs. Thiwalrat Angkinan to preside over a video conference with the heads of agencies under the Ministry of Labour in Samut Sakhon, to monitor the Covid-19 situation. The meeting took place at the Sangsingkaeo Meeting Room, 5th floor, Ministry of Labour. Advisory Board Member to the Labour Minister Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawat, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol, and the Ministry of Labour’s executives joined the occasion. The Labour Minister’s Advisor reported that with the new wave of Covid-19 outbreaks, the government under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defence General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and the Ministry of Labour under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, are concerned for the workforce and people of all groups and have continuously ordered and implemented measures. Therefore, the Labour Minister was assigned to work with relevant sectors to take proactive measures in the area, to prevent and control the spread of the disease to be limited in areas and to eliminate widespread infection, which would affect the national economy both directly and indirectly, and the well-being of people nationwide.
Mrs. Thiwalrat continued that the Ministry of Labour has taken proactive measures, working with relevant departments, including doctors, public health officials, and hospitals in the Social Security Office network, to visit workplaces to screen workers using the PCR method, focusing on employees exposed to the risk of infection. The measures allow such employees to be tested for Covid-19, concentrating on workplaces in the highest control area. Employees who are screened will know the results within 6-8 hours. If an infection is found, the employee will have to go through the treatment process determined by the Ministry of Public Health.
Today’s meeting’s objective was to monitor the implementation and acknowledge the results of the Ministry of Labour’s Center for the Covid-19 Situation Administration (MOL CCSA). Samut Sakhon had 80 new infections in workplaces, bringing the total number of cumulative cases to 3,341 (as of January 10, 2021). Thirty-three establishments and 53,451 workers were screened to prevent the spread of Covid-19 according to public health measures. The companies were ready to provide facilities to quarantine employees infected with Covid-19 in the workplace, following public health standards, which can partially accommodate workers in the amount of 1,800 workers, and six places. A total of 352 establishments are temporarily closed under government orders, totaling 5,194 employees, comprising 5,118 Thai workers and 76 foreign workers (Myanmar).
“The Ministry of Labour has issued a Ministerial Regulation regarding benefits in the event of unemployment due to force majeure, arising from the pandemic of dangerous infectious diseases, under the Communicable Diseases B.E. 2563. The measure is appliable to the event of force majeure where the insured employee is entitled to receive compensation benefits in the event of unemployment, or the inability to work because the employer has suspended business operations either in whole or in part following government orders to temporarily close the premises to prevent the spread of dangerous infectious diseases. In such case where the employee is not paid during the period, the employee is entitled to receive compensation at a rate of 50 percent of the daily wage throughout business suspension or orders to close such places, as the case may be, but not exceeding 90 days. The measure aims to assist employers and insured persons who are still affected by the economic situation, helping to alleviate the cost borne on employers and insured persons,” concluded Mrs. Thiwalrat.
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Division of Public Relations
11 January 2021
