News Forum - Model prisoners hired by Thai fruit exporter due to worker shortage

[Thaiger]

A fresh fruit exporting company in the central province of Chantaburi hired 30 model prisoners as factory employees to tackle the worker shortages in the agricultural sector. The director of the Tung Benja Correctional Institution in Chantaburi, Thitinai Patikabut, took 30 well-behaved prisoners to work at the Orasa Fruit Company in the Combang sub-district of …

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[JohninDublin]

I confess to being ambivalent about this story. It is good to see that the prisoners are being paid minimum wage, and are allowed to keep their earnings, but you have to wonder what incentive the employer has to raise wages, if they have a good supply of "staff" at minimum wage.

[Ferretkeeper]

18 hours ago, JohninDublin said:

I confess to being ambivalent about this story. It is good to see that the prisoners are being paid minimum wage, and are allowed to keep their earnings, but you have to wonder what incentive the employer has to raise wages, if they have a good supply of "staff" at minimum wage.

I doubt there are that many model prisoners close to the end of their sentence to make much difference.

If they didn't do this what do you think the ex prisoners would do once they left prison, which would be soon anyway? They'd go and get a job, possibly in the same company. 

Oddly, yesterday my wife who works in the Ministry of Labour went to the local low security prison to try to help those due to be released prepare for jobs. 

[Aussieroaming]

Cheap labour being exploited.

[Fanta]

1 hour ago, Aussieroaming said:

Cheap labour being exploited.

They get paid the minimum wage for a minimum wage job as opposed to doing nothing inside a prison all day, every day. This is a good thing. 

[JohninDublin]

7 hours ago, Ferretkeeper said:

I doubt there are that many model prisoners close to the end of their sentence to make much difference.

If they didn't do this what do you think the ex prisoners would do once they left prison, which would be soon anyway? They'd go and get a job, possibly in the same company. 

Oddly, yesterday my wife who works in the Ministry of Labour went to the local low security prison to try to help those due to be released prepare for jobs. 

I think my post inferred that the scheme has some merits. However (sarcastic unwarranted comment removed - moderator.), in the UK, there is as part of the Home Office, an org called "Prindus", Prison Industries. They have an agreement with Trade Unions that the Prison's access to cheap-labour will not lead to them undercutting non-prison industries. 

[Guest1]

On 3/21/2023 at 11:25 AM, JohninDublin said:

... but you have to wonder what incentive the employer has to raise wages, if they have a good supply of "staff" at minimum wage.

None!