Workers `need more time'

Workers affected by the red shirt rally need more time to seek financial aid, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee says.

The government should lift its deadline for workers wanting to apply for state help, committee chair Wilaiwan Sae-tia said yesterday.

Workers eligible for aid must report to the Labour Ministry before May 31.

Ms Wilaiwan said the ministry should scrap its deadline for registration as many workers who lost their jobs once the red shirt rally at Ratchaprasong began had returned to their hometowns and were unaware they had to return.

The committee, a network of labour unions, was compiling information on the damage caused by the protest and a list of affected workers would be sent to the ministry.

Most of those affected were struggling to make ends meet, which was hurting their families. They wanted the government to resolve the crisis so they could return to work, Ms Wilaiwan said.

Those hurt by the rally include shopping mall staff, hotel employees, restaurant workers, massage therapists and street vendors.

An employee of the InterContinental Hotel at Ratchaprasong intersection said the hotel had not yet laid off any staff, but the future was uncertain. ``My hotel has 380 rooms, but there are hardly any guests,'' she said.