News Forum - Quarantine waivered allowing 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand

[Thaiger]

In an effort to stop illegal border crossers looking for work, a newly signed memorandum of understanding will allow more than 160,000 migrant workers to enter Thailand without having to go through the quarantine procedure. Workers from Cambodia, Myanmar, and Laos have been given a free pass from tomorrow through the MoU signed if they have been fully vaccinated with two doses and provide a negative test result for Covid-19. In addition to being fully vaccinated, migrant workers must have health insurance, get a health check, and pass a Covid test. If everything comes back healthy, they will be given […]

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[ThaiEyes]

“In addition to being fully vaccinated, migrant workers must have health insurance, get a health check, and pass a Covid test. If everything comes back healthy, they will be given a work permit.”

Hmmm, they are migrant workers for a reason. Being that the work situation in their home countries are not up to par and (sadly) the situation is better here in Thailand. Oh sure they really have the resources to have all of those mandates before they enter the country and get a work permit

They likely do not have the money for this so these actions by the Thai government maybe have little to no actual effect on helping them. 

Edited June 7, 2022 by ThaiEyes

[Cabra]

Not really a free pass if they have to continue to jump through all the hoops (ie., fully vaccinated with two doses and provide a negative test result for Covid-19. In addition to health insurance, and a health check).

[Edstephan]

I keep trying to follow the science, but the money keeps changing the direction.....Follow the money

[Chatogaster]

3 hours ago, Thaiger said:

Thai employers have requested nearly 236,000 migrant workers from the three countries.

 

The minimum wage for Thai is ~320 thb/day. For migrant workers it's ~822 (<-- by Thai labor law, for the countries that were mentioned). So in terms of minimum wage, importing labor should be considerable more expensive. There are only a few reasons I can think of to make it worthwhile for employers to hire labor from abroad anyway:

1. lack of quality in the national pool,
2. lack of quantity in the national pool,
3. lack of minimum wage control / an abundance of loop-holes (like pay to work) or
4. availability of subsidies (in whatever form) based on tit-for-tat between countries.

Only reason #3 makes sense to me (right now), mostly based on the stated need to import ~236,000 laborers -- which is a lot. I hope I'm missing something, preferably reason #5, i.e. one I haven't thought of.

 

[Gord]

Smells fishy

[Highlandman]

Funny. While Thais and foreigners/expats/tourists/businessmen can enter Thailand quarantine free even if unvaccinated, migrant workers need to be vaccinated and tested to have the same privilege.

As usual these workers are discriminated against compared with the general population.