Thai PM not in favour of wage increases

“Where will we get the money from to increase wages?” the prime minister said, challenging his critics to find sources of money to implement the salary hike.

The Prayut government has recently been facing criticism over rising prices of pork while the population’s salaries and the minimum daily wage have not kept pace with inflationary costs. Pork is a staple food for the majority of Thailand’s population.

The government has looked into the causes behind the rising pork prices and would be taking action to address the issue, Prayut said.

Measures being considered include banning the export of pork and allowing imports to address the supply shortage which has pushed prices up.

In addition, the government has also taken measures to help small-time pig farmers by supporting the production of piglets for the farmers to raise and sell to the pork market.

“The government is trying to figure out what has affected the pricing system in the pork market, which has also led to an unreasonable hike in the prices of other goods,” Prayut said, adding that the swine disease outbreak was not the main cause of the pork shortage because only 20% of pigs had been culled due to the disease.

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The prime minister said he had assigned the Commerce and Agriculture ministries to also investigate the cause of the increase in prices and warned of legal action in cases of unjustified hike in prices, according to The Nation Thailand.