News Forum - Employers in Thailand object to proposal to raise minimum wage

[Thaiger]

In the midst of Thailand’s worst worker’s debt in 14 years, Thai employers are opposing a new proposal to increase the country’s daily minimum wage. The currrent minimum daily wages range from 313 baht to 336 baht, depending on which part of the country you’re in. In Bangkok it’s 331 baht. Earlier this week, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee and the State Enterprises Workers’ Relations Confederation proposed that the new daily minimum be 492 baht nationwide. In response, representatives from more than 40 employer associations met with the labour minister yesterday to push back against the proposal. The chairman of […]

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[longwood50]

29 minutes ago, Thaiger said:

In the midst of Thailand’s worst worker’s debt in 14 years, Thai employers are opposing a new proposal to increase the country’s daily minimum wage

If mandating raises for workers to solve poverty was a "good idea" and had no negative consequences there would never be poverty.  All government would have to do is increase minimum wage to a level more than sufficient for all workers to live a comfortable lifestyle. 

The problem is not that workers are paid too little.  It is that there are too few jobs causing employers to have to bid for workers.  Even more 83.5% of the workers in Thailand are unskilled.  So low wages correspond with low value that the worker provides. 

You want the standard of living and wages to rise for those at the bottom?  Get them educated, trained with skills that demand higher wages, and provide incentives to companies who require skilled labor to expand and/or relocate to Thailand. 

A company in Thailand producing automobile parts, assembly or an pharmaceutical company producing medicines will hire workers that get paid more.  However first those companies have to be given an incentive to come to Thailand and equally important workers have to be educated/trained to make them qualified to fill those positions. 

A job ( not a person) is what dictates what it is worth.  No matter how much the need is by the person who is picking up garbage, or raking leaves the job is only worth so much and unskilled jobs always go to the worker who is willing to work for the lowest wage. 

[Nivram]

My g/f is a nurse in a clinic.  She works 9.25 hours a day 6 days a week and earns 13,000 baht a month.

A 55.5 hour work week.  That comes out to 55 baht an hour.

How is she suppose to survive? 

She does not want to work bar or look for men on Tinder.

There are no unions that support workers are there?

Edited April 30, 2022 by Nivram
additional info

[HolyCowCm]

4 minutes ago, Nivram said:

She does not want to work bar or look for men on Tinder.

Then if not then you are supporting her comfortably enough for you to be able to call her your girlfriend? Nurses darn well knew what the pay was like as they went into the training.

[Johnmc17]

Its all about keep the rich rich and the poor poor 

[HolyCowCm]

Problem is minimum wage will just raise the real wage the workers will request to get. Now in factory that I know the workers get over minimum wage. So from what I see is that all minimum wage does here is raise the slate for the payout for the most part. If the workers don't get more, then they dont work. There is shortage of workers here. Even my wife pays her workers more just to keep them or they will move on.

[longwood50]

45 minutes ago, Nivram said:

My g/f is a nurse in a clinic.  She works 9.25 hours a day 6 days a week and earns 13,000 baht a month.

A 55.5 hour work week.  That comes out to 55 baht an hour.

How is she suppose to survive? 

She does not want to work bar or look for men on Tinder.

There are no unions that support workers are there?

Something is not right.  If she is truly a nurse with a degree in nursing, then she can go virtually anywhere and earn more money.  

[Nivram]

Don't believe everything you read.

[Nivram]

I know 20 nurses.  6 in Nakhon Phanom, 4 in Bangkok, 2 in Sakon Nakhon,  and 8 in Phuket.

None of them make over 18,000 baht a month.

[TheDirtyDurian]

Have a niece who was a nurse. She started at around 15k in a government hospital. Ended up around 25k at a private Bangkok Hospital. 

No one goes into nursing for the money in Thailand, a bit like teaching. 

To the guy with the GF, I would advise she look into working overseas. Need to get a decent IELTS score etc but might be worth a look. 

I'm based in the Gulf, and I think the hospitals here would collapse without the foreign nurses, mostly Flipflops, but some Malay, Indian, or poor Arab etc

 

 

[longwood50]

2 hours ago, Nivram said:

Don't believe everything you read.

You are correct.  I questioned the accuracy of the OP. Perhaps something is missing such as that the person merely works at a clinic and does not really have a nursing degree from an accredited college. 

[palooka]

2 hours ago, Nivram said:

I know 20 nurses.  6 in Nakhon Phanom, 4 in Bangkok, 2 in Sakon Nakhon,  and 8 in Phuket.

None of them make over 18,000 baht a month.

It is the degree that makes the pay grade increase, otherwise nurses assistant with years of service pay grade increases etc.

To be fair, some without the degree do the work of degree nurses without the pay.  

Some degree nurses pay nurses assistants to cover their shifts (ie weekends etc) and pay them nurses assistant pay rates.  The degree nurse gets the day off and still has bit of pay differential in pocket.  This sort of arrangement has to be approved prior to action by a superior but is nearly always approved if the replacement is up to the duties required.