September 4, 2025, 09.30 hours, Chumphon – Mr. Pongkawin Jungrungruangkit, Labour Minister, assigned Mr. Surasit Nitiwuttiworrak, Secretary to the Labour Minister, to visit the Wannakhet Community Enterprise to meet with freelance workers producing and selling coffee beans. The visit aimed to raise awareness about migrant workers while also listening to the group’s history, operational outcomes, and challenges.
He was joined by Lt. Cdr. Vittavat Koodprasert, Advisor to the Labour Minister, Acting Second Lieutenant Somsak Promdam, the Ministry of Labour’s Inspector-General, Mr. Khattiya Paendetch, Inspector-General of the Department of Employment, Mr. Sombat Phothiwat, Inspector-General of the Department of Skills Development, and Ms. Nomita Wyant, Inspector-General of the Social Security Office, at Moo 10, Hat Phankrai Sub-district, Mueang Chumphon District, Chumphon Province.
The Wannakhet Community Enterprise was established by members of the Chumphon Organic Agriculture Group, under the Chumphon Sustainable Agriculture Federation. The group practises sustainable organic farming, processing their produce for joint sale. They began with coffee as their primary product and later expanded into herbal teas, essential oils, and herbal extracts, leading to the formal formation of the “Wannakhet Community Enterprise.”
The Ministry of Labour has supported this freelance group in various ways, including promoting the registration of freelance workers through labour volunteers and labour graduates, implementing projects to expand employment opportunities for older people by promoting self-employment. They have offered training under the course “Enhancing Robusta Coffee Production for Added Value, registering members as home-based workers, providing professional barista training under the Labour Skill Development Project to support the government’s Soft Power policy. Additionally, they have promoted occupational safety for informal workers, facilitating registration under Section 40 of the Social Security Act, and providing guidance on the rights and benefits under Sections 33 and 39.
