Workers in remaining Thai provinces to get Bt300 daily minimum wage in 2013

BANGKOK, September 6 (TNA) - The Central Wage Committee (CWC) has maintained its earlier resolution on raising a minimum wage to 300 baht a day for workers in the remaining 70 Thai provinces as of January 1, 2013, after surveys showed that the daily minimum wage hike would not affect the overall national economy. Thai Permanent Secretary for Labour Somkiat Chayasriwong, in his capacity as the CWC chair, confirmed the decision, made at a CWC meeting on October 17, 2011, at a press conference in Bangkok on Wednesday, acknowledging that the 300-baht daily minimum wage will be effective in all areas throughout the country until 2014-2015. Somkiat said that the CWC will present the resolution on the equal 300-baht daily minimum wage for local workers to the Thai Cabinet for its final approval within the next two weeks. According to the senior official, the resolution was based on the studied surveys showing that Thailand's gross domestic product (GDP) expanded by 4.2 per cent year-on-year in the second quarter of 2012 and new applications seeking official approvals of investment promotional privileges had reached 829 projects in the first seven months of this year, totally worth 332 billion baht or a 38 per cent year-on-year surge; while the country's average inflation rate had stood at around 2.92 per cent, lower than 3.3-3.8 per cent earlier estimated, and there had been only two firmed reported to have laid off their workers due to the wage hike. The senior Labour Ministry official revealed that the surveys, jointly conducted by his ministry, the Thai Chamber of Commerce and the Federation of Thai Industries (FTI), also found 99 per cent of local small and medium-sized business operators had been able to manage the increased daily minimum wage and the country's unemployment rates in the first half of this year had remained stable at about 0.8 per cent. As of April 2012, the 300-baht daily minimum wage has been first effective in Bangkok and six other Thai provinces, including Nonthaburi, Pathum Thani, Samut Prakan, Nakhon Pathom , Samut Sakhon and Phuket. (TNA)