MOL steps in to monitor Pra Nakhon Si Ayutthaya province’s problems of labour insufficiency and rising demand for alien workers.

              The Minister of Labour went to Pra Nakhon Si Ayuthya province to listen to and monitor the problem of labour insufficiency and rising demand for alien workers. In this respect, industrial sector needed to hire métier & technique graduates and workers less than 18 years of age, who are allowed to work overtime. It also wanted the government to lift up the restriction which restricted Burmese, Laos, and Cambodian workers to only work in manual labour jobs. 
                Mr. Phaithoon Kaeothong, the Minister of Labour, revealed that entrepreneurs had to cooperate with MOL by summarizing statistical demand for employment to proceed to the Department of Employment. The Department then would set up skill training programs to train labours before they could enter the work places. MOL in this way had provided a policy guideline, which was identical to the Ministry of Education’s non-formal education policy, to the Department of Skill Development. There would be advertisement aiming to attract workers in agricultural sector to come back and work in industrial sector. After they attended the program, they would receive basic pay higher than basic minimum rate of basic pay. They would also receive social security guarantee, workmen’s compensation fund guarantee, and more annual medical checks.
            Mr. Todsapon Wangsrilabat, the Chairman of Pra Nakhon Si Ayuthaya Provincial Federation of Thai Industries, said that hiring legal alien workers in a situation where labours were lacking was an important issue. There should be a restriction on time duration for hiring Thai workers. It was unfair for private sectors to be restricted to hire Thai labour without a specific time restriction to allow us to wait. Enable employers to tell employee to work overtime was not an issue of employee alone as Labour laws always give protection for employee. There was a need for a channel to allow hiring part time workers for one to two hours. There was a need for the Labour Relations Committee consisting of representative from private and government sectors to settle labour conflict in provincial level. Labours less than 18 years of age were needed and they should be allowed to work overtime.  The restriction which restricted alien workers from Burma, Laos, and Cambodia to only work in manual labour jobs needed to be changed. The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare should also provide managerial supports and equipment to child development centre in Bang Pa In industrial estate industry. The provincial committee on minimum basic wages must become independent from any association and club.
            Ms. Bonggod Jamtawee, the vice-chairman of Pra NaKhon Si Ayuthaya provincial labour industry said that industrial sector needed to hire workers less than 18 years of age, who are allowed to work overtime. It also wanted the Pra NaKhon Si Ayuthaya provincial Department of Employment to coordinate with other employment offices around the country to provide labours supply to make up with insufficiency labours in entrepreneurs.
Mr. Somwang Toongsuwan of Teijin (Thailand ) CO., LTD, said that at the moment the demand for labours in automobile and electronic industrial sectors was very high, particularly for those of métier & technique graduates as well as workers less than 18 years of age, who are allowed to work overtime.
 Mr. Sombat Premprapa of MNB-Minebea (Thailand) CO., LTD, said that the company needed 1,400 workers. Especially after a new company’s factory construction was completed, further 5,000 workers would also be needed. In a case where the company could not hire new workers, it would have to go and hire legal alien workers instead. However, there is a problem of the restriction which allowed alien workers from Burma, Laos, and Cambodia to only work in manual labour jobs. This restriction needed to be changed. The company also wanted to see the establishment of border zone at Mae Sot district of Tak province.
 Mr. Phaithoon said that he had assigned the Department of Employment to deal with the issue of alien workers. In this way, the Department would see whether the restriction which restricted workers from Burma, Laos, and Cambodia to only work in manual labour jobs could be changed. In the case of hiring employee less than 18 years of age, who are allowed to work overtime, he had assigned the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to see whether the allowance for overtime work was against any international labour convention.
                Mrs. Amporn Nitisiri, the Director-General of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, said that in the case of the request for the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare to provide managerial support and equipments for child development centre in Bang Pa In industrial estate industry, the Department had professional personnel who could help on the issue. Regarding budget support’s concern, the Department could reallocate some budget but it would not be much. Next week, officials would come and give some advice about child care development centre. As in the case of labour conflict resolution, if Pra Nakhon Si Ayuthaya was of the opinion that the problem should be discussed by both parties, it should not plan for any layout. In the case of hiring workers less than 18 years of age to work, it could be done just by informing the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare but still they were not allowed to work overtime.