CNI News
17 August 2022
Myanmar migrant workers are underpaid and exploited in Thailand and some of them have lodged complaints about such practices, Ko Thar Gyi, a labour activist working for Myanmar workers in Thailand told the CNI.
They lodge complaints that they have a lot of trouble as they are paid about Baht 220 per day and are chiseled off from their overtime pay while being forced to rent their own accommodations because their employers fail to do so, he said.
“The have to spend all their wages. They earn Baht 220 a day and about Baht 6,000 a month. As their salaries are paid every fifteen days, they earn about Baht 3,000. There are some workers who earn about Baht 2,800. Baht 500 is cut off from each worker’s 15-day salary for their passports. So, they have to pay Baht 1,000 each month for their passports. So, they actually earn only about Baht 5,000 a month. Some of them may earn over Baht 4,000. Then, they have to rents, electricity bills and utility bills. Prices of goods have increased exponentially in Thailand. As a result, nothing is left to send back to their families,” he said.
He was underpaid and exploited, a worker, who has been working in a plywood factory for 10 years, told the CNI.
Although minimum wages for a worker are set between Baht 315 and Baht 330 per day from province to province, they are paid Baht 220 per day, Ma Marlar, a worker who is working in the plywood factory, told the CNI.
Baht pink cards permitting migrant workers to work officially in Thailand.
“They said their factory was too small to pay such salaries and we requested them to pay us Baht 250 per day as goods were getting expensive. They refused to pay such wages and they raised the 15-day salaries of workers who regularly worked overtime by Baht 10 and those who did not by Baht 5,” she said.
Moreover, it is learnt that Myanmar workers are paid from Baht 25 to Baht 30 per hour for their overtime pay despite the overtime wage being set at Baht 55 per hour by the Thai government.
As they are entitled to basic salaries set by the Thai government as workers legally come to work in Thailand, they will fight for their rights in accordance with the law, Labour Activist Ko Thar Gyi told the CNI.
He said, “When they asked for my help, I contacted the factory, which said they could pay only Baht 220 per day and those who no longer wanted to work for them could leave their jobs. I am still trying to negotiate with them. If they continue to refuse to pay the basic salaries set by the Thai government, I will take legal action against them. If I sue the factory, it will have to repay compensations, which amount to two years’ wages. It will have to pay Baht 315 per day for each worker. I have taken such steps.”
Meanwhile, the Migrant Workers’ Rights Network and other organizations in Thailand have requested the Thai government to raise the basic salary of migrant workers including Myanmar nationals to Baht 492 per day.
However, the Ministry of Labour of Thailand said that it was impossible to pay all migrant workers Baht 492 per day as economic conditions of each province was different from others and would raise the basic salaries of migrant workers as of 1st January, 2023.
