The Labour Minister’s Assistant and the Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour joined the discussion forum on “From hand to hand, to policies that support migrant workers in the COVID-19 situation and human trafficking in Thailand.”
On June 4, 2020, Assistant to the Labour Minister Dr. Duangrit Benjathukul Chairungrueng and Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour Mrs. Thienrat Nawamawat joined the discussion on the topic of “From hand to hand, to policies that support migrant workers in the COVID-19 situation and human trafficking in Thailand: are they still relevant today?”. The event took place at the center for rehabilitation and training for workers experiencing problems at home or the LPN Home on Khlong Bang Luang Wai Pra road, Khlong Bang Luang, Lat Lum Kaeo, Pathum Thani. The discussion was organized by the Labour Promotion Network (LPN) in collaboration with Thai PBS Plan International Thailand and the Mirror Foundation.
Assistant to the Labour Minister Dr. Duangrit Benjathukul Chairungrueng spoke about foreign workers in Thailand. He said that there are currently 2,589,353 foreign workers permitted to work in the Kingdom. The employment of foreign workers in Thailand must take into account three important principles that must not affect the national security, must not affect the Thai way of life such as not competing for the Thai people’s careers and not bring in deadly communicable diseases into Thailand; the employment of foreign workers must support the drive of the country’s economy. The Ministry of Labour has therefore continuously managed the importation of foreign workers into Thailand, to drive the country’s economy by importing workers as needed. All foreign workers entering Thailand have ensured protection under human rights principles as well as to prevent the problem of human trafficking in labour.
Preventive measures on the spread of the COVID-19 virus among migrant workers include the postponement on approval of all foreign worker import procedures from March 23, 2020, onwards and will continue when the situation returns to normal. Foreign workers are, however, allowed to remain in the Kingdom and continue to work until November 30, 2020. Measures have been relaxed for migrant workers of the 3 nationalities who hold passports or documents in place of passports and have been permitted to enter Thailand under the MOU on Labour with Cambodian and Myanmar workers holding border cards. Workers under this category are permitted to stay in the Kingdom and work from June 1 to July 31, 2020. On the prevention, inspection, screening, and surveillance of foreign workers at the Port-in Port-Out (PIPO) Command Center, cooperation has been requested from establishments nationwide to publicize and educate employees and insurers in the workplace about the COVID-19 virus. This includes the implementation of the Ministry of Public Health’s recommendations to create an understanding of mitigation measures and giving relief items. There is also a screening process and 14 days self-quarantine as determined by the Ministry of Public Health, and remedies for providing medical services to insured patients with COVID-19. There have been adjustments of unemployment benefits, reduction of the employer’s contribution rate, and the extension of the deadline for submitting the employer’s and insurer’s rate of filing. After the situation becomes relaxed, the Ministry of Labour will promote the employment of Thai people into the employment system and prepare information on the necessity of using foreign workers in the country and move foreign workers systematically.
Deputy Permanent Secretary of Labour Mrs. Theanrat Nawamawatt spoke about labour trafficking in Thailand. She said that the Ministry of Labour attaches great importance to resolving human trafficking and has continuously taken actions to resolve labour issues in the fishing sector so that workers of all nationalities receive care, protection, and support to have a good quality of life. Foreign workers have received rights following international laws and standards to the extent that the European Union (EU) has announced the release of a yellow card on the fishing industry in Thailand. Furthermore, the US Department of State has placed Thailand in the Tier 2 category for two consecutive years. Thailand has been ranked in accordance with the Sustainable Development Goals of the United Nations (UN SDGs) ranked 40th in the world, up 19 points from last year, and is number one in ASEAN, which is the result of efforts and cooperation of all sectors.
The Ministry of Labor will continue to strive to move forward and develop relevant legal frameworks such as the Labour Relations Act and the State Enterprise Labour Relations Act, in order to certify the ILO Convention No. 98 on Integration and Negotiation. It will also continue to give priority to the integration of labour inspections among risk group businesses to cover all areas and increase the efficiency in the prevention of forced labour and human trafficking in the whole system of the workforce, with an important goal of protecting human dignity following human rights principles. The efforts will continue to the sustainable elimination of human trafficking in Thailand.
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Division of Public Relations
4 June 2020
