SSO book a 'waste of money'

The Social Security Office has come under fire over its plan to spend 200 million baht to print books promoting its former boards of directors.

The SSO said the plan to publish between 300,000 and 500,000 copies of the book to celebrate the achievements of the former board directors had been approved in principle.

It plans to distribute the books to employers and business operators who join the Social Security Fund as well as educational institutes.

Worawan Charnduaywit, the chief researcher on social security at the Thailand Development Research Institute, urged the agency to review the project, saying the information should be disseminated on the SSO's website, http://www.sso.go.th, to save money and provide easier access to information.

Ms Worawan said the SSO should use the money to serve the interests of workers.

She said the SSO should focus on the improvement of good governance and provide social security members with better access to health care.

Labour activist Arunee Srito said former SSO executives had managed the fund effectively. But since politicians interfered with the fund management in 2002, the fund had been spent on projects which do not benefit members. These include billboards promoting politicians in Nakhon Ratchasima and advertising discounts for members on luxury products, she said.

Wilaiwan sae Tia, leader of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, said the book project was unnecessary because the SSO had already published its annual reports. She supported the information dissemination through the SSO website.

"All welfare and benefits are the result of demands and fights by workers," Ms Wilaiwan said of the book project.

"The management and board members have not initiated anything. So they have nothing [for which] to be praised. The useless spending does not meet the needs of social security members."

Ms Wilaiwan also questioned the plan's transparency.