Advocates Spotlight Crucial Problems
** labour rights protests rock Bangkok streets on Labour Day**
Thai workers and activists kicked off Labour Day this year by taking to the streets, advocating for better labor protections and fairer treatment for employees. Clad in red shirts, protesters marched through Bangkok, waving banners and signs, with Panus Thailuan, president of the National Congress of Thai Labour, leading the charge.
At the heart of the movement is a call for the establishment of a risk insurance fund to shield workers from unfair dismissals and the non-payment of severance packages. Panus underscored the importance of this demand, citing the example of Yarnapund Public Co Ltd, where workers were owed some 400 million baht in severance pay.
Among other high-profile demands is the roar for tax exemptions on severance pay and a minimum pension guarantee of 5,000 baht per month. These proposals seek to address workers' financial vulnerabilities but currently lack legal backing.
The protesters also echoed demands for uniform pay for overtime work, with calls for a 1.5x wage for salaried employees. Moreover, they called for fair wage adjustments and greater transparency from their employers.
Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn acknowledged receiving the protesters' demands, assuring that they were under review. In response, the ministry pledged to implement proactive policies, offering comprehensive care to both local and foreign workers.
While the proposed risk insurance fund may still be under review, a partial advancement in labor protections has occurred. The Cabinet recently approved an increase in unemployment compensation to 60% of daily wages, effective following its publication in the Royal Gazette.
Labor Day 2025 highlighted the ongoing struggles of Thailand's workers for more equitable labor practices. The protestors' demands not only serve to enliven the conversation on labor rights but also to push for meaningful structural reforms in the future.
- The protesters advocated for the creation of a risk insurance fund as a means to protect workers from unfair dismissals and unpaid severance packages.
- In Bangkok, Thai workers and activists marched, leading with Panus Thailuan, president of the National Congress of Thai Labour, urging fairer treatment and labor protections.
- Among other demands was the call for tax exemptions on severance pay and a minimum pension guarantee of 5,000 baht per month.
- Further, the protesters emphasized the need for uniform pay for overtime work and fair wage adjustments.
- Despite the ongoing review of their demands, a partial labor protection advancement has already happened, with an increase in unemployment compensation to 60% of daily wages.
