Labour grouups push for wage rise nationwide

"We hope to see the hike take effect from October," Manas Kosol said yesterday in his capacity as president of the National Congress of Thai Labour.

He said workers should be allowed to enjoy higher pay at around the same time as civil servants and state-enterprise employees, who will all get their wages hiked in October.

Manas said his organisation would join hands with the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee to push for workers across the country to get the Bt300 minimum daily wage.

On Wednesday, the government unveiled a plan to increase the minimum daily wage to Bt300 from January 1 onward, but in just seven provinces initially. This is an attempt to honour one of the Pheu Thai Party's campaign pledges.

"During its election campaign, Pheu Thai Party promised to raise the minimum daily wage for all workers at the same time," Manas said yesterday.

Many employers, meanwhile, complained that the government should not push for the hike in the daily minimum wage.

The government should let the Central Wage Committee consider the issue in line with law, they advised. The Central Wage Committee comprises representatives of workers, employers and government agencies.

The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare said it would seek another Bt200 million to offer compensation to workers who are unfairly laid off. The move is apparently planned in the belief that increasing the minimum daily wage to Bt300 would lead to lay-offs.

"Currently, the fund has Bt273 million, but will likely need another Bt200 million," the department's director-general Amporn Nitisiri said.