Thailand considers abolishment of daily employment

With an upgraded status under the bill, proposed by the Move Forward Party (MFP)-led House committee on labour, workers will have better opportunities to enhance their abilities, have better labour rights protection and better able to make ends meet, said Suthep Ou-oun, MFP MP and chair of the committee. 

Employers will eventually benefit from the improved work efficiency of their employees, he said. 

Citing data obtained from the Commerce Ministry, Suthep said wages for daily and temporary employees currently make up between 2% and 3% of total production costs. 

If passed, changes will also be applied to contract work and all types of temporary employment in government organisations and state enterprises, the parliamentarian said. 

In addition, the weekly working hours of employees will be capped at 40 hours for general work and 35 hours for work with increased health risks to workers, he said. 

He said that under the amendment, each worker will have at least two days off and will not have to work back-to-back for more than five days, adding maternity leave will also be extended from 90 to 180 paid days.

READ: Employees in Thailand struggling to manage work stress

The proposed amendment has come under fire from employers’ bodies. The Employers’ Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai) and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI) have already submitted a joint statement opposing the amendment.

Meanwhile, more than 40 pro-labour organisations have submitted statements supporting it, according to Bangkok Post.