The Labour Minister instructed the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to meet 39 labour organizations to clarify the “Section 33, we love each other” project. The efforts hope to be a voice to over 380,000 members, creating a correct understanding of the government’s intention to help workers amid the Covid-19 outbreak.
On February 5, 2021, at the meeting room on the 5th floor, Ministry of Labour, Labour Minister Mr. Suchart Chomklin chaired a consultation meeting on the labour situation with labour leaders. Assistant to the Labour Minister Mr. Surachai Chaitrakulthong, Advisor to the Labour Minister Mrs. Thiwalrat Angkinan, the Labour Minister’s Secretariat Mr. Suthep Chitayavong, Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol, and the Ministry of Labour’s executives also joined the meeting. The Labour Minister said that the government, under the leadership of Prime Minister and Minister of Defense General Prayuth Chan-ocha and the Ministry of Labour, under the leadership of Deputy Prime Minister General Prawit Wongsuwan, to help care for workers affected by Covid-19, including employers and companies like family members. Everything has to be done within the framework of the law. Today, the Labour Minister, therefore, invited representatives from labour organizations, including 15 employee organization ouncils and 22 labour unions, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, and the State Enterprise Labour Relations Federation, for 39 organizations. The meeting aimed to clarify and understand the government’s measures about the workforce to create a better understanding among the existing members covering 380,000 people.
Mr. Suchart continued that in this matter, Prime Minister General Prayuth Chan-ocha instructed the Ministry of Labour to discuss with the Ministry of Finance, Bureau of the Budget, the National Economic and Social Development Council (NESDC) to find ways to add remedies for insured persons under Section 33 to be equal to other groups that the state has already supported. The meeting discussed the details of the remedial conditions for insured persons under Section 33, amounting to 11 million people. Initially, the conditions of those entitled to receive remedies will be based on the same criteria as the “We Win” scheme, which is that eligible persons must not have over 500,000 in deposits in their account as of the end of 2019, must not be a state welfare cardholder and must be a Thai national. The remedial amount shall be subject to the consideration of the Ministry of Finance. Today, there are other details to be clarified among the workers about the government’s intentions by using the Ministry of Finance’s budget for the project implementation. Therefore, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare invited representatives of workers’ organizations to meet and receive the clarification, getting a correct understanding of the said project. It aims to expand the results among the members and to share the intentions and efforts of the Ministry of Labour, and the government is looking after workers affected by the Covid-19 outbreak.
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Division of Public Relations
5 February 2021
