MOL explained parties on the extending protection of informal labour

              Mr.Phaithoon Kaeothong, Minister of Labour (MOL), had a meeting with informal workers for enlightening knowledge to, and collecting suggestions of representative of Bangkok, Phichit, Phetchabun, Nakhon Si Thammarat, and Uttaradit, in order to propel the policy of the expanding protection of informal workers gathering into the social security system under section 40. On 23 February 2010, the MOL had proposed the readiness guideline of insurance under section 40 and already later approved by the cabinet. The essential matter is that the cabinet granted the Social Security Office to particularly open a bank account for flexibly managing the insurance provider under section 40 along with the proposal of MOL. Moreover, the Office of Council of State suggested that the MOL (Social Security Office) should re-consider the Charter Committee on Social Security payments received and retain capital in B.E. 2547  whether it is appropriate with the management, or not.  Additionally, the Social Security Office has a permission to create their subordinated agencies which are responsible for managing comprehensive operations of providing the insurance under section 40 including the unit of insurance services in the district level as well as the 12 agencies in Bangkok. However, the MOL has to manage the structure and resources that are currently available to do so.

               MOL reported the substantial matters as followed:
               1. Draft Decree on set criteria and rates of pay contribution in types of alternative benefits.  As well as guidelines and terms of the right to substitute benefits of their insurance under section 40 B.E. .... as a cabinet resolution (August 5, 2009) will be immediately productive after announcing in the Government Gazette. The public, who will be the insured under section 40, will differently have the benefit from section 33 and 39 in term of amount and conditions on their insurance. 
               2. Social Security Committee, meeting in 11/2009 on 22 December 2009, called that
                    2.1 Since limitations (according to Article 1), the management of subvention under section 40 needs to operate as the incorporate management of 5 cases. Crucially, the accounts of matching fund must separately be set aside from others and not included in the section of Article 33 and 39. As a result, it will be optimized in the further development of insurance advantages which will truly benefit to the insured under section 40 following their actual-future experience in term of insurance benefiting.
                   2.2 The majority of informal labours, who will be the insured under section 40, are distributed in the sub-district and districts. Hence, the Social Security Office should pragmatically accelerate the expansion of social insurance service -- such as receiving contribution, diagnosing alternative benefits, and etc -- covering at least the district level to facilitate the insured in accordance with section 40.
               3. The Social Security Act B.E. 2533 requires the establishment of social security foundation for self-expenditure which is responsible for receiving, paying, and keeping the money accordance with the treasury regulation, the Ministry of Finance. This regulation, which has been practiced since 2547 until now, agrees on separating the capital fund into 6 separated-alternative accounts (childbirth, illnesses, child-disabilities, deaths, child-welfare and old-age case). Furthermore, there is another special account in the case of unemployment that it is not specifically required as the separated account under section 40.
               4. To serve the insured under section 33, which is compulsory, and the insured’s section 39 continued from section 33, there are currently provincial service agencies in all provinces. For Bangkok where is integrated into 1 areas from 3-4 zones, there are totally 12 areas mostly diffusing in urban areas to service the insured under section 33 and 39. The Social Security Office, Ministry of Labour has, however, never had district-level agencies to provide services under section 40 which mainly uses for labours living in rural, sub-district and village.