Bangkok: Deputy Prime Minister Yotsanulok is preparing to propose amendments to four labor laws to promote the rights of seafarers, protect home-based workers, revise regulations, and upgrade welfare benefits in state enterprises to accommodate "marriage equality." Today, at Government House, before the Cabinet meeting, Professor Dr. Yotsanun Wongsawat, Deputy Prime Minister and Minister of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation (MHESI), in his capacity as Deputy Prime Minister overseeing the Ministry of Labour, along with Police Lieutenant Colonel Wannapong Kacharak, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, and Captain Patarasmi Thongslueykorn, Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office, held a press conference to announce the progress of proposed amendments to labour laws.
According to Thai News Agency, Professor Dr. Yotsanan revealed that today he was assigned to represent Mr. Chulaphan Amornvivat, Deputy Minister of Finance, who is on a mission to Australia with the Prime Minister. He stated that there is good news for the Ministry of Labour, with whom they have worked for quite some time: the presentation of four labour-related laws to the Cabinet meeting. These laws directly benefit workers and are divided into three main parts:
1. Draft Maritime Labour Act - Aims to provide opportunities and enhance the rights of "seafarers" to receive protection from the social security system and compensation fund, equivalent to their land-based workers.
2. Draft Home-Based Work Protection Act - This is an amendment to the law to bring it into line with international standards, emphasizing the protection of home-based workers. If an employer defaults on payment and fails to pay wages, they will be liable to pay both interest and penalties.
3. Draft Announcements of the State Enterprise Labor Relations Committee (2 documents) - These amend regulations to align with the "Equal Marriage" law, changing the terms "husband" and "wife" to "married persons." This will grant spouses of state enterprise employees equal rights to compensation, medical expenses, and funeral expenses, regardless of whether they are heterosexual or same-sex couples.
Professor Dr. Yoschanan reiterated, "All of this is about ensuring that our fellow workers, whether on ships, at home, or in state enterprises, receive fair and comprehensive protection."
Pol. Lt. Col. Wannapong Kacharak, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour, further stated that the details of the three groups of laws have been improved to maximize benefits and comply with international standards, as follows:
Seafarers - This amendment will provide seafarers with additional benefits and enable them to access the social security system as required by law. It should be clarified that "seafarers" here does not refer to fishing vessels, but also to workers on "transport vessels," which are another group that will benefit from today's Cabinet resolution.
For the home-based work group: Three major improvements have been made to ensure comprehensive coverage and compliance with international standards, including:
Age requirements - The minimum age for workers is 15 years or older, and they must not perform work that is hazardous to health.
Fair compensation - Employees of the same type of work in the same establishment must receive the same standard wages. If the work is different, the wage rate must be clearly announced and must not be lower than the established minimum rate.
Security collateral - There are laws in place regarding the return of security deposits to prevent home-based workers from being exploited.
The State Enterprise Workers' Relations Group stated that the amendment to include the term "married person" under the Equal Marriage Act will have retroactive effect to the date the Equal Marriage Act came into force, to ensure that everyone receives the rights according to the criteria of their respective state enterprises.