The “Tripartite Board” collapsed in the second round, voting to raise the minimum wage by 400 baht. The reason for the quorum is not complete. After being on an urgent mission. Meanwhile, the employer side attended the meeting.
Mr. Piroj Chotiksathian Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labour Revealing the results of the 22nd Wage Committee Meeting No. 9/2024 to consider raising the minimum wage of 400 baht, this meeting was not called a crash but did not have a quorum, with 4 government representatives not attending the meeting and 2 employee representatives not attending, so it was not possible to complete the quorum of 2/3 that would require 10 or more people to attend the meeting.
Today, it is only to present information on the employment conditions of employees to the meeting to know how many businesses currently employ employees who pay 400 baht, how it affects Thai workers, and what aspects are affected. If you look at the information from social security. If there is a wage increase in busines
ses with 200 or more employees, about 1,000,000 foreign workers will benefit from the wage increase and nearly 4,000,000 Thai workers will benefit from the wage increase.
As for the next steps, Mr. Piroj said that the meeting resolved to reconvene in the morning of September 24, 2024.
However, Mr. Piroj stated that he had inquired about the reasons for the non-attendance of the government and employees from the secretariat and informed that for the two employees who were absent, they reported that they were on duty and sick. Four government officials reported that they were on an urgent mission. It is expected that the expenditure budget is closed, so there is an important task that must be accelerated. This made it impossible to attend the meeting. Some of them were on urgent leave this morning and confirmed that the reason why government representatives and employees did not attend the meeting today. It does not have political implications. The quorum of the meeting has been completed and two-thirds of th
e resolutions will be submitted to the Cabinet Meeting on October 1, 2024 for consideration and enforcement, but if it is not in time for October 1, 2024, it will be postponed until the quorum is complete and a resolution is issued by the tripartite.
Mr. Piroj reiterated that he asked the Wage Committee to attend the meeting because sending representatives made it impossible to vote. And it is not possible to continue to increase the minimum wage of 400 baht according to the specified period. He confirmed that he wants the minimum wage increase to be completed before he retires.
Today, The employer’s representative, who did not participate in the previous meeting, argued that he understood that the meeting had been postponed and had already made a written explanation. The employers’ representatives attended the meeting, and in the next meeting, if 2/3 quorums or 10 people come, they can vote and proceed to the next step.
Source: Thai News Agency