Union condemns firm for sacking workers 'despite good profit'

The Abhisit Vejjajiva government's policy of helping workers who have been dismissed "sounds good, but is unable to be applied," the Textile Garment and Leather Workers Federation of Thailand (TWFT) has claimed.

While the government had a project aimed at helping workers who get laid off, such as the Tonkla Archeep Project, which provides free vocational training, a TWFT official said that this couldn't solve unemployment difficulties.

Union officials have also complained that a company that laid off nearly 2,000 workers in Bangkok last week was in good financial help and had taken support from the Board of Investment before sacking the employees.

"The (TWFT) wonders what if all employees were laid off, and went to the training program; how could the government support those unemployed (who finished the program) while all employers insist they have a financial crisis?" the union said in a statement.

"Instead of protecting the employees, the government pays more attention to the employers and has never really delivered a single policy to protect employees," Promma Phoomphan, a former TWFT president, said.

TWFT issued the statement yesterday after the news on June 29 that Body Fashion (Thailand), a manufacturing unit of Triumph International, had dismissed 1,959 employees at its main factory in Bang Phli.

The Body Fashion management team said the workers were laid off because of a drop in sales, caused by the economic downturn, plus a need to alter their manufacturing process.

However, the Triumph International (Thailand) Labour Union insisted the firm had made a good profit and didn't really face financial problems, Jittra Chochadet, an adviser of the union, said.

Moreover, she said, the company received financial support from the Board of Investment (BoI) to extend its factory in Nakhon Sawan, and recruited 1,000 more workers. This showed the company was in a healthy financial state.

"The company wants to move its manufacturing base to Nakhon Sawan plant since Bang Phli plant has a labour union, while the Nakhon Sawan plant does not," Jittra explained.

She voiced concern that funding from the BOI for the new plant may have led to the dismissal of workers at the Bang Phli plant - "the support of BOI was the cause of our dismissal."

About 500 sacked workers have been demonstrating at Bang Phli factory since June 29.

The union will go to the BOI office next month to file a complaint. The TWFT also plans to complain to the PM at Government House on Tuesday.

The paper was unable to get comment from Body Fashion (Thailand) or Triumph International.