News Forum - Thailand’s minimum wage increase sparks controversy and calls for revision

[Thaiger]

The contentious decision to marginally increase the daily minimum wage in Thailand spurred the Ministry of Labour into seeking discussions with the tripartite committee, which approved the hike. Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin critiqued the decision as insignificant, stating that the 2 to 16 baht rise approved last Friday was insufficient. The tripartite committee, also referred … …

The story Thailand’s minimum wage increase sparks controversy and calls for revision as seen on Thaiger News.

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[thaicm]

A 2 to 16 baht increase in the minimum wage is insulting.  So, in fact, is the existing minimum wage.

There's all kinds of data out there to suggest that substantially raising the minimum wage has a very healthy effect on the economy.  Conservatives argue that it hurts businesses by consequently raising costs.  Progressives argue that more money in people's pockets results in more spending, thus helping businesses and the economy.  Conservatives also believe that giving incentives to businesses ultimately trickles down to the people.  That idea has proved to be a miserable failure each and every time it has been tried, largely because business just pockets the profits.  Putting money in the hands of consumers on the other hand, has been proven to actually make its way back into the economy, thus benefiting everyone.  Take a lesson Thailand, stop giving big gifts to businesses and give it to consumers instead.  Raise the minimum wage in a big way.  It's not just the decent thing to do, it's the smart thing.

[Pinetree]

In the farms in which I have a commercial and financial interest, we pay well over the minimum wage to regular workers and double the MW at harvest time.  That goes on for one week.  The farms still make a distributable profit. Just because it's a legal MW, it doesn't mean that companies can't pay more, they should.  

[Manu]

54 minutes ago, thaicm said:

A 2 to 16 baht increase in the minimum wage is insulting.  So, in fact, is the existing minimum wage.

There's all kinds of data out there to suggest that substantially raising the minimum wage has a very healthy effect on the economy.  Conservatives argue that it hurts businesses by consequently raising costs.  Progressives argue that more money in people's pockets results in more spending, thus helping businesses and the economy.  Conservatives also believe that giving incentives to businesses ultimately trickles down to the people.  That idea has proved to be a miserable failure each and every time it has been tried, largely because business just pockets the profits.  Putting money in the hands of consumers on the other hand, has been proven to actually make its way back into the economy, thus benefiting everyone.  Take a lesson Thailand, stop giving big gifts to businesses and give it to consumers instead.  Raise the minimum wage in a big way.  It's not just the decent thing to do, it's the smart thing.

Churchill said: “You don’t make the poor rich by making the rich poorer.” One could (should) also say "You don't make the poor richer by making the rich richer".

[Smiler]

47 minutes ago, Pinetree said:

In the farms in which I have a commercial and financial interest, we pay well over the minimum wage to regular workers and double the MW at harvest time.  That goes on for one week.  The farms still make a distributable profit. Just because it's a legal MW, it doesn't mean that companies can't pay more, they should.  

Good for you that is commendable but let’s face facts the vast majority of Thai employers will happily just pay the MW and to be honest I’m sure there will be people working for less than that.

[Pinetree]

3 minutes ago, Smiler said:

Good for you that is commendable but let’s face facts the vast majority of Thai employers will happily just pay the MW and to be honest I’m sure there will be people working for less than that.

Yes there are.  My g/f tells me that all the construction workers we see on the roads and the grass cutters on major roads  are all migrant workers on circa 300 Baht per day. God only knows how they manage to live. 

[Manu]

2 hours ago, Smiler said:

Good for you that is commendable but let’s face facts the vast majority of Thai employers will happily just pay the MW and to be honest I’m sure there will be people working for less than that.

... and there are plenty, where I am they are mostly Cambodians.

[ChrisS]

9 hours ago, Smiler said:

Good for you that is commendable but let’s face facts the vast majority of Thai employers will happily just pay the MW and to be honest I’m sure there will be people working for less than that.

Yes indeed most migrant workers in unskilled jobs will get less than the minimum wage but of course the Thai government are not concerned about them anyway.