Temporary workers 'urgently need help'

The government will have to spend more tax money to help tens of thousands of temporary workers hired by subcontractors of flooded factories in Ayuthaya, Pathum Thani and other provinces, according to a labour leader.

Chalee Loi-soong, chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, a major alliance of labour groups, said these temporary workers have not been taken care of by employers who are subcontractors or small factories in flooded areas.

He said the situation would get worse in the coming months as temporary workers have few or no safety nets under the labour law.

So far, the government has announced that workers with proper full-time employment contracts will receive an average of Bt2,500 per month for six months, while those who work as "temporary workers" may get nothing.

The Social Security Office has urged workers who have lost their jobs due to the floods to register for new jobs and for temporary unemployment benefits within 30 days.

Chalee said the Labour Ministry must be more pro-active in helping affected workers find new employment.

He also noted that some factories in Ayutthaya, Pathum Thani and Samut Sakhon are in danger of going out of business due to financial difficulties and insufficient - or a total lack of - insurance. Workers are feeling the full impact of this, he said.

"If the government can spend a huge budget on populist policies, they should channel more money into helping workers," said Chalee, who added that he had received many phone calls from workers asking for help in recent weeks.

Some factories have not laid off workers outright, but have told staff to move to jobs in factories in other provinces. However, some workers find it difficult to move as they have families to care for, so the transfer order is tantamount to being laid off, Chalee said.

Although media have reported that the so-called "Big Cleaning" operation is underway in some factories that have dried, Chalee said not all workers had been re-hired, while others were re-hired at minimum-wage level despite having worked at the factories for years on higher-than-minimum wages prior to the flooding.

Chalee added that since the Bt2,000 per worker additional assistance promised by the government has not been taken up by a number of small factories, the government should find a way to channel the much-needed cash directly to laid-off workers.

The State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC) is another umbrella organisation busying itself helping affected workers. Sawit Kaewvarn, SERC secretary-general, said many conflicts over re-hiring had arisen between workers and employers.

He urged the government to do everything possible to protect affected workers, as unemployment would have a direct impact on not just these tens of thousands of workers but also on their families and dependants.

Sawit was most worried about migrant workers, as they are the least-protected group.

SERC has set up a shelter for affected migrant workers in Samut Songkram province.

SERC is trying to help migrant workers who have lost their documents to secure the paperwork necessary for re-employment, Suwit said.