The Labour Minister welcomed Mr. Joost Korte, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, on a courtesy call to discuss official labour matters, and to strengthen cooperation in promoting Thai labour protection and international cooperation.
On February 13, 2020, Labour Minister M.R. Chatumongol Sonakul welcomed Mr. Joost Korte, Directorate-General for Employment, Social Affairs and Inclusion of the European Commission, at the Saengsingkaew conference room, 5th floor, Ministry of Labour. Permanent Secretary of Labour Mr. Suthi Sukosol and the Ministry of Labour’s executives also joined the occasion.
The discussion from the European Commission included the exchange of views on Thailand – EU Labour Dialogue, which was initiated by mutual agreement on both sides on May 17, 2018. They thanked the Ministry of Labour for the invitation to participate in the high-level labour meeting on February 13-14, 2020. There was an explanation on the situation of Thai workers harvesting wild fruit (berries) in the EU member states, including Finland and Sweden, which emphasized that the EU provides protection for Thai workers. The EU showed appreciation for Thailand as the first country in Asia to ratify the supplementary protocol to the ILO Convention No. 29 on forced labour 1930 (P29) and the ILO Convention No. 188 on working in the fishery sector 2007. The European Union has continued to support cooperation with Thailand in combating the use of forced labour and human trafficking, especially in the fishery sector which will expand cooperation to the regional level further. He highlighted labour issues as important and relevant to trade and politics between the European Union and Thailand.
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Division of Public Relations
13 February 2020
