Labour advocates and human rights activists converged on Government House on Monday, calling on the government to raise the daily minimum wage to 700 baht and set up a fund to support laid-off workers.
Promising voters a rise in wages is a supposed curtain-raiser for national election campaigning. However, Pheu Thai's election pledge to lift the minimum daily wage from just over 300 baht to 600 baht has run into a barrage of criticism. The private sector, namely the employers, who will have to foot the bill, countered by saying the pledge would do more harm than good and won't help the country in the long term.
The Employers' Confederation of Thai Trade and Industry (EconThai) has come out in support of a daily minimum wage hike if the increase is appropriate based on current inflation.
Thai workers are feeling the pinch from months of higher living expenses, leading them to take to the streets on Labour Day to demand a 45% increase in the daily minimum wage.
The Federation of Thai Industries is opposing a proposal to increase the daily minimum wage to 492 baht, fearing that small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) will be severely impacted.