“Pipat” coordinates with the Bank of Thailand to call a meeting of the Tripartite Board to discuss raising the minimum wage again by 30 September. He insists that there will be no delays.
Mr. Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn, Minister of Labor, spoke about the 22nd Wage Committee (Wage Board) regarding the adjustment of the minimum wage to 400 baht, in which the last meeting of the Wage Committee, the government sector, did not attend the meeting, saying that it was up to the Wage Committee to decide. In his political position, he could not interfere because it was within the power of the Wage Committee, which consists of 5 employees, 5 employers, and 5 government sector members.
Mr. Pipat said that today he will have Mr. Pairoj Chotikasathian, Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor, coordinate with the representative of the Bank of Thailand. If they agree to come to the meeting, we will hold the meeting within this week. The meeting of the Wage Committee is considered the most important meeting. We will ask
for a complete quorum. More importantly, if there is still no clarity this week, there will be another opportunity to hold a meeting on September 30, 2024 because Mr. Pairoj will retire from government service. Therefore, we have to wait for the appointment of a new Permanent Secretary of the Ministry of Labor. We will try to complete the meeting before Mr. Pairoj retires.
Mr. Pipat insisted that he never delayed or delayed because he could not force or pressure anyone because the rules already stated that politics could not interfere with the Wage Committee’s affairs. Therefore, he asked that it be the responsibility of the Wage Committee.
As for the case of Mr. Methee Supapong, former deputy governor of the Bank of Thailand (BOT) as a representative of the BOT, who is still in neutral, Mr. Pipat said that he did not know about this matter. He had to coordinate with the Bank of Thailand to inform the representatives to attend the meeting. As for whether this matter is a political game or not, he did not kn
ow and could not answer. However, he tried to end the minimum wage issue in his era.
As for the flag that was set to set a minimum wage of 400 baht by October 1st, will it be changed or not? Mr. Pipat said, “Wait until the meeting is finished first.”
Source: Thai News Agency