Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin discussed with the Labour Commission, House of Representatives, to monitor progress on measures to support workers from the effects of Covid-19, providing workers with employment, skills development, and social security towards a better quality of life.
On March 12, 2021, at the meeting room on the 5th floor, Ministry of Labour, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin chaired the meeting to discuss and monitor progress on measures to support workers affected by Covid-19 together with the Chairman of the Labour Commission, The House of Representatives Mr. Suthep U-On and delegation. Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, Advisor to the Labour Minister Mrs. Thiwalrat Angkinan, the Labour Minister’s Secretariat Mr. Suthep Chitayavong, Police Major General Nantachat Supamongkol from the Office of the Prime Minister’s Secretariat performing duties for the Ministry of Labour, and the Ministry of Labour’s executives, also joined the occasion. The Labour Commission from the House of Representatives had eight issues to discuss and monitor progress with the Ministry of Labour as follows: 1) Labour statistics during the Covid-19 pandemic. 2) Measures and surveillance to reduce the risk of infection and prevent transmission amid the Covid-19 outbreak. 3) The Ministry of Labour’s measures to assist workers affected by the Covid-19 outbreak. 4) Problems and obstacles encountered from the implementation of labour assistance measures that have been implemented. 5) Channels for receiving complaints and grievances. 6) Progress of improvement in labour protection laws. 7) Progress in the “Section 33 We Love Each Other” project and the extension on the period of being an insured person under Section 40 from the original 60 years to 65 years. 8) The draft Act’s progress in promoting and improve the quality of life of informal workers.
Mr. Suchart said the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha, and the Ministry of Labour under the supervision of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan is focused on solving the issues arising from the Covid-19 pandemic. The Labour Minister said he cared to care about workers like family members. Therefore, measures have been implemented to assist workers affected by Covid-19 in various areas, such as proactive screening of Covid-19, allowing migrant workers to stay in the Kingdom and continue to work following Cabinet’s resolution on December 29, 2020, providing remedies and assistance to workers and entrepreneurs, promoting employment by organizing the JOB EXPO THAILAND 2020 project, developing the potential of those in the labor market towards Upskill and Reskill comes continuously, as well as the implementation of the “Section 33 We Love Each Other” project.
Chairman of the Labour Commission, The House of Representatives Mr. Suthep U-On discussed a proposal to the Ministry of Labour in this meeting to improve the enforcement of laws, many of which are in the process of the Council of State’s considerations such as the Labour Relations Act, the Informal Labour Act and the Social Security Act in cases of termination, business closure, where the employer does not pay compensation or unemployed persons affected by Covid-19. Such groups of people have to be trained and developed to have a new career and support the workforce’s structure in the future. The meeting discussed ways for workers to get more involved with the Ministry of Labour. There was a proposal about language training for Thai people who travel to work abroad, prepare before they go to work abroad, and weekly employment promotion, for example.
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Division of Public Relations
12 March 2021
