Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher
Population:
Capital: Bangkok
Capital: Bangkok
The legal framework is not conducive to trade union activities. Union members suffered discrimination due to their union activities, and there were overt indications that the government would support employers over workers in labour disputes. Employers remained fiercely anti-union. Government attacks on migrant workers continued.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
reported violations - 2011
Background
In March, the United Front for Democracy against Dictatorship (UDD) began large demonstrations in Bangkok calling for the dissolution of Parliament and new elections. In April and May, Thai military forces used lethal force to disperse protesters from rally sites near Parliament and a Bangkok shopping district. In the attacks, 91 people were killed. Two journalists were among the dead, and another 15 reporters were wounded. A preliminary state probe into the violence indicated that Thai Special Forces fired into a Buddhist temple grounds where several thousand protesters had taken refuge on 19 May. Due to protests, the government proclaimed the Emergency Decree on Public Administration in Emergency Situation in Bangkok and other provinces on 7 April. The decree allowed the Centre for Resolution of the Emergency Situation (CRES) to detain anyone without charge for up to 30 days in unofficial places of detention and gave officials effective immunity from prosecution for most acts committed while implementing the decree. Free-speech activists said authorities had blocked at least 110,000 internet sites. Thailand slipped 23 places to 153rd (out of 178) on the press freedom index.
The government implemented a National Verification (NV) and registration process for all migrant workers in Thailand who were already working in Thailand with valid work permits. Under the NV program, migrant workers were required to verify their nationality with their home country before they were re-issued legal work permits in Thailand. Those workers who failed to comply with the NV program were subject to deportation.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population:
Capital: Bangkok
Capital: Bangkok
reported violations- 2011
Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher
Trade union rights in law
Despite initial guarantees, trade union rights are coupled with numerous excessive restrictions. The 2007 Constitution guarantees freedom of association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
and specifically mentions unions as one of the organisations that can be formed. Several categories of workers enjoy only limited or no freedom of association
freedom of association
The right to form and join the trade union of one’s choosing as well as the right of unions to operate freely and carry out their activities without undue interference.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
, however, including civil servants, teachers, and government officials. A law drafted in 2010 would allow civil servants to organise.
Non-nationals may not form a union and may not be elected to union leadership posts. Loss of employment also means loss of union membership. A union’s right to have advisors is limited, and these must be approved by the Ministry of Labour. Furthermore, a union can be dissolved if its membership dips below 25% of the eligible workforce. Only one union can be formed at each enterprise, and state enterprise unions may not affiliate with private sector labour congresses or federations.
While the right to collective bargaining
collective bargaining
The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
is secured, only unions that represent at least 20% of the workforce may present bargaining demands, which must be voted on at the union’s annual meeting or the union loses its right to engage in bargaining. Strikes are prohibited in state enterprises, and civil servants do not have the right to strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
. The 2010 civil servants draft law would not alter this situation. The government can also restrict any strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike
that would “affect national security or cause severe negative repercussions for the population at large”. Finally, the list of “essential services
essential services
Services the interruption of which would endanger the life, personal safety or health of the whole or part of the population. Can include the hospital sector, electricity and water supply services, and air traffic control. Strikes can be restricted or even prohibited in essential services.
See Guide to the ITUC international trade union rights framework
” significantly exceeds the ILO
International Labour Organization
A tripartite United Nations (UN) agency established in 1919 to promote working and living conditions. The main international body charged with developing and overseeing international labour standards.
See tripartism, ITUC Guide to international trade union rights
definition.
Freedom of association / Right to organize
Principles
Freedom of association :
- >The right to freedom of association is enshrined in the Constitution.
- >The right to freedom of association is regulated by law.
The new Civil Service Act does not include provisions regarding freedom of association or collecting bargaining.
Anti-Union discrimination:
- >The law prohibits anti-union discrimination, but does not provide adequate means of protection against it.
Restrictions
Restrictions on workers' right to form and join organizations of their own choosing:
- >Single trade union system imposed by law and/or a system banning or limiting organising at a certain level (enterprise, industry and/or sector, regional and/or territorial, national)
- Each state enterprise can only have one union.
- >Restrictions on workers' right to join the trade union of their choosing imposed by law (i.e. obligation to join a trade union of a certain level e.g. enterprise, industry and/or sector, regional and /or territorial national)
- The law provides that members of a union "shall be workers working for the same employer" of the enterprise or company represented by the union, or "employees engaging in the same category of work." If a worker loses his/her job at that enterprise, he or she must be dismissed from membership of the union.
- >Restrictions on trade unions' right to establish branches, federation and confederation or to affiliate with national and international organisations
- Affiliation between state enterprise unions and private sector labour congresses or federations is restricted by law.
Restrictions on trade unions' right to organize their administration:
- >Restrictions on the right to elect representatives and self-administer in full freedom
- An executive committee member of a union must be at least 20 years old to stand for election despite the fact that the legal age to work is 15. The law also prohibits any non-Thai citizen from being an elected leader of the union committee. The result is that the estimated 1.5 to 2 million migrant workers from Burma, Cambodia and Laos who are present in the country are effectively stripped of any right to form a trade union.
- >Restrictions on the right to freely organise activities and formulate programmes
- The Thai government uses NPKC Order 54 from the 1991 military government to restrict the unions’ right to have advisors. Under this order, each union is entitled to no more than two advisors, who must register with the Ministry of Labour and have their registration regularly renewed. The Ministry has broad discretion to deny registration and penalise labour leaders who fail to register.
- >Administrative authorities' power to unilaterally dissolve, suspend or de-register trade union organisations
- If a union’s membership dips below 25% of the eligible workforce it is liable to be dissolved administratively by the state.
Categories of workers prohibited or limited in law from forming or joining a union, or from holding a union office:
- >Non-national or migrant workers
- The law prohibits anyone who is not a Thai national from being one of the ten workers required to organise and register a union.
- >Others categories
- The 2003 Private University Act exempts private universities from the Labour Protection Act and the Labour Relations Act. Similarly, the Private Schools Act of 2007, passed by the military-appointed Parliament in December 2007, stipulates that all teachers and educational personnel are not covered by these two key labour laws. The law establishing quasi-government "public institutions" also prevents workers in those institutions from forming a union. An increasingly wide variety of quasi-government organisations have been established as "public institutions", thereby creating a growing section of official employment that is legally union-free.
Right to collective bargaining
Principles
Right to collective bargaining:
- >The right to collective bargaining is recognised by law but strictly regulated.
Restrictions
Legal barriers to the recognition of collective bargaining agents:
- >Previous authorisation or approval by authorities required to bargain collectively
- A union must take a vote at its annual meeting in order to put forward its demands, failing which the union has no right to engage in collective bargaining.
- >Excessive requirements in respect to trade unions' representativity or minimum number of members required to bargaining collectively
- Employees constituting at least 15% of the workforce, or a trade union with a membership representing at least 20% of the workforce, may present collective bargaining demands.
Right to strike
Principles
Right to strike:
- >The right to strike is recognised by law but strictly regulated.
Restrictions
Limitations or ban on strikes in certain sectors:
- >Undue restrictions for "public servants"
- The State Enterprise Labour Relations Act (SELRA) prohibits strikes and lock-outs within state enterprises. Civil servants do not have the right to strike.
- >Discretionary determination or excessively long list of "essential services" in which the right to strike is prohibited or severely restricted
- Private sector workers have the right to strike, but the government may restrict strikes that would "affect national security or cause severe negative repercussions for the population at large". The law forbids strikes in "essential services," which it defines in significantly broader terms than those laid down by the ILO.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population:
Capital: Bangkok
Capital: Bangkok
reported violations - 2011
Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher
In practice
ILO decision on compensation for migrant workers: The State Enterprise Workers Relations Confederation (SERC) submitted a complaint to the ILO
International Labour Organization
A tripartite United Nations (UN) agency established in 1919 to promote working and living conditions. The main international body charged with developing and overseeing international labour standards.
See tripartism, ITUC Guide to international trade union rights in June of 2009 that alleged that Thailand’s current policy of denying compensation to migrant workers for work-related accidents and illnesses violated domestic and international labour standards international labour standards Principles and norms related to labour matters, primarily codified in the Conventions and the Recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Include core labour rights such as freedom of association and the right to organise, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike, which are all covered by ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
See ITUC Guide to international trade union rights . In February 2010, the ILO International Labour Organization A tripartite United Nations (UN) agency established in 1919 to promote working and living conditions. The main international body charged with developing and overseeing international labour standards.
See tripartism, ITUC Guide to international trade union rights Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations in its deliberations at the 99th International Labour Conference upheld the SERC complaint and directed the Thai government to provide migrant workers the same benefits and entitlement to work-related illness and injury as enjoyed by Thai nationals.
See tripartism, ITUC Guide to international trade union rights in June of 2009 that alleged that Thailand’s current policy of denying compensation to migrant workers for work-related accidents and illnesses violated domestic and international labour standards international labour standards Principles and norms related to labour matters, primarily codified in the Conventions and the Recommendations of the International Labour Organization (ILO). Include core labour rights such as freedom of association and the right to organise, the right to collective bargaining and the right to strike, which are all covered by ILO Conventions 87 and 98.
See ITUC Guide to international trade union rights . In February 2010, the ILO International Labour Organization A tripartite United Nations (UN) agency established in 1919 to promote working and living conditions. The main international body charged with developing and overseeing international labour standards.
See tripartism, ITUC Guide to international trade union rights Committee of Experts on the Application of Conventions and Recommendations in its deliberations at the 99th International Labour Conference upheld the SERC complaint and directed the Thai government to provide migrant workers the same benefits and entitlement to work-related illness and injury as enjoyed by Thai nationals.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population:
Capital: Bangkok
Capital: Bangkok
reported violations - 2011
Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher
Violations
AutoAlliance attacks Ford-Mazda Thailand Union:
AutoAlliance (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (AAT), a joint venture between Ford Motor Company and Mazda Motor Corporation, based at the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate (ESIE), locked out its Ford-Mazda Thailand Union (FMTU) employees on 5 January after negotiations broke down over wages and bonus issues. The plant’s 2,200 full-time workers were given until 6 January to either report to work and accept the AAT’s offer on wages and bonus or face a lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. . Employees accepting the offer would be guaranteed full pay and benefits and receive a full-year bonus. During the lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. AAT utilised uniformed and non-uniformed police and Thai military personnel to intimidate workers demonstrating against the lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. . The owner of the ESIE filed charges against six union leaders for damages caused by blocked traffic during the union picketing picketing Demonstration or patrolling outside a workplace to publicise the existence of an industrial dispute or a strike, and to persuade other workers not to enter the establishment or discourage consumers from patronising the employer. Secondary picketing involves picketing of a neutral establishment with a view to putting indirect pressure on the target employer. . The lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. ended on 10 February when AAT and FMTU negotiated a settlement to the dispute.
In a related matter, subcontracted workers at the plant, whom AAT hires through a HR Digest Co., Ltd. (HRD), and who work on the production line with FTMU members, joined the FMTU during the lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. and requested that HRD enter into negotiations for a collective agreement. In response, AAT locked out the subcontracted workers and HRD dismissed 108 employees. On 15 November, the Labour Relations Commission ruled against 80 dismissed HRD workers who had filed a complaint that alleged they were illegally dismissed for their union activities after they joined the FMTU. The workers plan to appeal the decision to the Provincial Labour court.
Government ignores labour committee findings: On 16 January, Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum rejected the State Enterprise Labour Relations Committee’s (SELRC) order to reinstate six former State Railway of Thailand (SRT) employees. The employees, all members of the State Railway Workers’ Union of Thailand (SRWUT), were dismissed after a strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike in October, 2009. Sophon directed the SRT to appeal the decision to the Labour Court.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike in October, 2009. Sophon directed the SRT to appeal the decision to the Labour Court.
Hicom hits new low in retaliating against union members: After Hicom Automotive Plastics (Thailand) Co., Ltd. (Hicom) in Rayong Province, a company that manufactures auto parts and plastics, ended a lock-out against its union on 29 January, the company retaliated against members of the Hicom Workers’ Union of Thailand (HWUT) when they returned to work. Hicom removed 50 HWUT members from their regular jobs and ordered them to clean and paint the factory. Another group of 27 HWUT members were removed from their factory jobs and directed to work in an isolated warehouse. On 16 February, the union filed a complaint to contest Hicom’s actions. In an act that the union believes to be connected to the ongoing dispute with the company, a union leader was stabbed in the stomach by an unknown assailant on 26 February while travelling home from work.
Tycoons evicts striking workers: Over 400 workers from Tycoons Worldwide Group (Thailand) Public Co., Ltd. (Tycoons) in Rayong Province who are represented by the Tycoons Workers’ Union of Thailand (TWUT) went on strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 18 May in support of their demands for increased wages, better health and safety provisions, and improved working conditions. In response to the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike , the company hired members of the Thai Navy to guard the plant. In addition, one union striker and his wife were seriously beaten by an unknown assailant, believed to be a company-hired thug, when they travelled home from a union meeting. As the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike continued through the month of June, Tycoons evicted strikers from company dormitories and hired strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike -breakers. Tycoons is headquartered in Taiwan and manufactures metal wire, rods, bars, and fasteners, as well as other specialised metal parts.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 18 May in support of their demands for increased wages, better health and safety provisions, and improved working conditions. In response to the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike , the company hired members of the Thai Navy to guard the plant. In addition, one union striker and his wife were seriously beaten by an unknown assailant, believed to be a company-hired thug, when they travelled home from a union meeting. As the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike continued through the month of June, Tycoons evicted strikers from company dormitories and hired strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike -breakers. Tycoons is headquartered in Taiwan and manufactures metal wire, rods, bars, and fasteners, as well as other specialised metal parts.
Arrest of former ICEM leader: Former ICEM (International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions) Projects Coordinator and human rights activist Somyot Pruksakasemsuk was detained on 24 May under the provisions of the Emergency Decree on Government Administration in States and held in custody at the Royal Thai Army Cavalry Center, Saraburi (Adisorn Army Camp). No charges were ever filed against Somyot, but an arrest warrant was issued for Somyot and Suthachai Yimprasert from Chulalongkom University after the two held a press conference on 21 May for the 24th of June Democracy Group, an organisation critical of the ruling government. Somyot was released on 13 June after an outpouring of protest against his confinement from the international trade union and human rights community.
Michelin continues discrimination against union members:
The Tripartite Industrial Relations
industrial relations
The individual and collective relations and dealings between workers and employers at the workplace, as well as the institutional interaction between unions, employers and also the government.
See social dialogue
Committee (IRC) ruled on 24 June that France-based Michelin Tyre Company’s (Michelin) management at its plant in Laem Chabang, Chonburi Province, violated the provisions of the Industrial Relations
industrial relations
The individual and collective relations and dealings between workers and employers at the workplace, as well as the institutional interaction between unions, employers and also the government.
See social dialogue
Act of 1975. The decision was in relation to a dispute that arose in March 2009 when plant workers signed a petition to protest the company’s unilaterally imposed 35% wage cut. Management locked out employees who refused to remove their names from the petition. Twenty-two union members were arrested, suspended from their jobs, and faced criminal charges filed with police by company officials.
The IRC noted that Michelin discriminated against 12 union members of the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ (ICEM)-affiliated Petroleum and Chemical Workers’ Federation (PCFT-ICEM) whom it had previously reinstated on 18 January – but not to their former jobs. The IRC had ordered management to reinstate the 12 workers to jobs inside the factory equivalent to those they held previously within ten days of the decision. Michelin did not comply fully with the court decision when it reinstated the 12 workers on 18 January, and the 12 refused their new job assignments, filing a complaint with the IRC. With respect to the criminal charges filed against union members, a Chonburi Provincial court set a hearing for 4 November 2011 to address the company’s charge that the workers blocked the exit to the factory.
Severance for illegal dismissal: On 21 July, the Thai Labour Court ordered True Corporation (True), a large Thai conglomerate involved primarily in telecommunications, to provide compensation to nine workers terminated over three years ago because of their activities to form a union at one of True’s subsidiaries. Although the court ruled the terminations violated the law, it did not order the employees’ reinstatement. Instead, the court directed the company to provide severance pay. After the ruling, True announced they would appeal the decision to the Supreme Court. The dispute dates back to 28 February 2007, when the nine employees were laid off before being able to register their newly formed union with the government.
Human trafficking: According to a federal indictment that the FBI has called the largest human-trafficking case in US history, six recruiters have been accused of luring 400 Thai labourers to the US and forcing them to work. The indictment alleges that four employees of labour recruitment firm Global Horizons Manpower Inc. and two Thailand-based recruiters orchestrated the scheme. It states the recruiters lured the workers to the US with false promises of lucrative jobs, then confiscated their passports, failed to honour their employment contracts and threatened to deport them. The six defendants include Global Horizons President and CEO Mordechai Orian, 45; Director of International Relations Ms. Pranee Tubchumpol, 44; Hawaii regional supervisor Shane Germann, 41; and onsite field supervisor Sam Wongsesanit, 39. Two of the defendants were arrested on 2 September. The Thailand recruiters were identified as Ms. Ratawan Chunharutai and Ms. Podjanee Sinchai.
Government gives training on union surveillance: In a document presented to employers at a management roundtable on 23 September in Rayong Province, the Deputy Commander of Rayong Provincial Police presented procedures for both the police and employers to follow in labour disputes. The document advised employers to have closed-circuit surveillance cameras (CCTV) to monitor employee meeting places and, in the event of a labour dispute
labour dispute
See industrial dispute
, to use the system to record worker activities. The procedures also direct employers to set up a command centre to observe workers and deploy guards if there is a labour dispute
labour dispute
See industrial dispute
. The procedures state both uniformed and plainclothes police will be assigned to all demonstrations and the police will videotape and photograph worker activities. If workers hold a peaceful public protest, employers are requested to provide background information on leaders and the names of those joining the rally. The procedures further state that the police will provide a negotiation team to work in conjunction with an employer’s team provided in negotiations with the workers. Lastly, if police file a court petition to restrict the actions of strikers, the procedures require employers to assign legal counsel to work with police on the petition. Rayong Province includes the large Hemaraj Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate with over 220 auto assembly and parts manufacturing plants.
Company targets union members with bogus theft charges: The G4S Security Service (Thailand) Co. Ltd. (G4S) in Bangkok terminated 30 members of the Security Cash Transportation Workers’ Union (SCTWU) on 11 November on fabricated charges of theft and negligence after THB 12,000,000 (USD 400,000) went missing from the company’s vault. Seven of the fired workers serve as SCTWU executive committee members. The union claims the company is using the alleged theft to bust the union because the vault was not under the care of any of the fired workers at the time the money went missing. SCTWU has contested the dismissals by filing a complaint with the Pathumtani Provincial Labour Court.
Goodyear locks out striking workers: The Goodyear Tyre Makers’ Union (GTMU), which is part of the PCFT-ICEM and represents workers at Goodyear (Thailand) Public Co. Ltd. (Goodyear) in Pathumthani Province north of Bangkok, went on strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike from 18-23 November in support of its demand for equal pay for workers doing the same job, improved benefits and shorter working hours. The strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike was called after numerous meetings with the company and government mediation mediation A process halfway between conciliation and arbitration, in mediation a neutral third party assists the disputing parties in reaching a settlement to an industrial dispute by suggesting possible, non-binding solutions.
See arbitration, conciliation efforts failed to achieve a new agreement. Management informed workers that if they did not end the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike and return to work, they would lose their benefits. Goodyear locked out the striking workers and told the union that it would not end the lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. unless the union agreed to separate the work rules from the collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement, which would give Goodyear more flexibility to dismiss workers. Goodyear has locked out 620 GTMU members since 22 November.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike from 18-23 November in support of its demand for equal pay for workers doing the same job, improved benefits and shorter working hours. The strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike was called after numerous meetings with the company and government mediation mediation A process halfway between conciliation and arbitration, in mediation a neutral third party assists the disputing parties in reaching a settlement to an industrial dispute by suggesting possible, non-binding solutions.
See arbitration, conciliation efforts failed to achieve a new agreement. Management informed workers that if they did not end the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike and return to work, they would lose their benefits. Goodyear locked out the striking workers and told the union that it would not end the lockout lockout A form of industrial action whereby an employer refuses work to its employees or temporarily shuts down operations. unless the union agreed to separate the work rules from the collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement, which would give Goodyear more flexibility to dismiss workers. Goodyear has locked out 620 GTMU members since 22 November.
Employers show anti-union attitudes : Union leaders and members were dismissed on numerous occasions during the year as they attempted to form unions or negotiate bargaining agreements. Employers remained anti-union. The list includes the following: Thai Sobhi Kohgei Company (Sobhi) dismissed 11 Thai Sobhi Workers’ Union (TSWU) leaders and members on 18 February, after the union submitted its proposals for a collective bargaining
collective bargaining
The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement; Chintana Apparel Company (Chintana) dismissed all eight members of the Chintana and Affiliates Workers’ Union (CAWU) Executive Committee on 27 February, with the charges stemming from the union’s holding of a membership meeting to provide an update on negotiations with the company; Japan-based Nikon (Thailand) (Nikon) dismissed 34 members of the Nikon Workers’ Union of Thailand (NWUT) on 28 February after union leaders presented bargaining demands for a new collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement (CBA); at Nikon (Thailand) Co the chairman of the Nikon labour union, Thongchai Sitthidet, said management suspended nine labour union board members on 24 March after they encouraged fellow workers to demand better benefits from the company; Thai Fukoku Co. Ltd (Fukoku) dismissed 13 union leaders on 21 June after they formed a union on 14 June; TFO Tech (Thailand) Co. Ltd. dismissed eight Thailand Autoparts and Metal Workers’ Union (TAM) negotiating team members on 22 June after the TAM submitted bargaining demands for a new CBA; SKB Tech (Thailand) Co., Ltd., (SKB) dismissed the President and Secretary General of the SKB Connection Labour Union that recently formed at the SKB factory; B. Mayer Thailand and T.G. Technology Co., Ltd dismissed 15 members of the B. Mayer and T.G. Worker’s Union’s Executive Committee and 13 other union members on 2 October, shortly after the union had formed; and Sumitomo Rubber Co., Ltd, dismissed four workers on 12 October after they formed a new union and submitted collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
proposals to company officials.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement; Chintana Apparel Company (Chintana) dismissed all eight members of the Chintana and Affiliates Workers’ Union (CAWU) Executive Committee on 27 February, with the charges stemming from the union’s holding of a membership meeting to provide an update on negotiations with the company; Japan-based Nikon (Thailand) (Nikon) dismissed 34 members of the Nikon Workers’ Union of Thailand (NWUT) on 28 February after union leaders presented bargaining demands for a new collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
agreement (CBA); at Nikon (Thailand) Co the chairman of the Nikon labour union, Thongchai Sitthidet, said management suspended nine labour union board members on 24 March after they encouraged fellow workers to demand better benefits from the company; Thai Fukoku Co. Ltd (Fukoku) dismissed 13 union leaders on 21 June after they formed a union on 14 June; TFO Tech (Thailand) Co. Ltd. dismissed eight Thailand Autoparts and Metal Workers’ Union (TAM) negotiating team members on 22 June after the TAM submitted bargaining demands for a new CBA; SKB Tech (Thailand) Co., Ltd., (SKB) dismissed the President and Secretary General of the SKB Connection Labour Union that recently formed at the SKB factory; B. Mayer Thailand and T.G. Technology Co., Ltd dismissed 15 members of the B. Mayer and T.G. Worker’s Union’s Executive Committee and 13 other union members on 2 October, shortly after the union had formed; and Sumitomo Rubber Co., Ltd, dismissed four workers on 12 October after they formed a new union and submitted collective bargaining collective bargaining The process of negotiating mutually acceptable terms and conditions of employment as well as regulating industrial relations between one or more workers’ representatives, trade unions, or trade union centres on the one hand and an employer, a group of employers or one or more employers’ organisations on the other.
See collective bargaining agreement
proposals to company officials.
Migrant workers still face exploitation: While the government introduced a National Verification (NV) and registration process for migrant workers, little changed at the level of exploitation at the hands of Thai authorities or in the workplace. In July, the International Federation of Chemical, Energy, Mine and General Workers’ Unions (ICEM) called for an independent investigation into the deportation of Burmese migrants because those deported under the government’s NV program suffered human rights abuses at the hands of regime-backed ethnic armies in Karen State. Other repressive measures against migrant workers were also implemented with the Labour Ministry issuing a regulation requiring migrant workers to contribute to a repatriation fund starting on 1 January 2011. Under the regulation, Burmese and Laotian workers are required to pay a total of THB400 a month while a Cambodian worker needs to pay THB350 a month through payroll deductions by their employer. The money will be used to cover the government’s expenses in the event a migrant worker is deported. Authorities also decided that migrant workers should not have children. The Labour, Social Development and Human Security ministries want to impose contraception on migrant workers. The Labour Ministry said it was focusing on the boom of children born to migrant workers, with the Social Development and Human Security Ministry saying such children were prone to be victimised by human trafficking due to their illegal residence.
Migrant workers strike: About 300 Burmese migrant workers went on strike
strike
The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike at Asian Seafood on 21 August when the company changed the payment of overtime from the legally required method to a production/piece rate based on each kilogram of shrimp the worker cleaned. Thai authorities arrested and detained eight workers in connection with the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . More than 1,000 Burmese workers at the Dechapanich Fishing Net Factory (Dechapanich), one of the largest nylon fishnet factories in the world, went on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 9 September to support their demand for reinstatement of six co-workers dismissed by the company the day before. The company dismissed the six workers for taking more than three days of leave each month. When the six dismissed workers demanded the return of their work documents, they found that the company had written the word “cancelled” next to their work visa. Also, the workers’ overseas workers identification card, issued by Burma’s Ministry of Labour, had been altered by putting photos and information other than that of the worker. Without proper work documents, the workers could not look for other work and were subject to deportation. The workers also complained that they were receiving THB 140 (USD 4.65) per day while the statutory minimum wage for Khon Kaen was THB 157 (USD 5.30) per day and that they did not receive any overtime pay. On 14 September, local immigration authorities reinstated the work visas for the dismissed workers, and on 15 September, Dechapanich agreed to return work documents to all employees. However, as of 8 October, there were still about 369 migrant workers who had still not received their documents.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike at Asian Seafood on 21 August when the company changed the payment of overtime from the legally required method to a production/piece rate based on each kilogram of shrimp the worker cleaned. Thai authorities arrested and detained eight workers in connection with the strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike . More than 1,000 Burmese workers at the Dechapanich Fishing Net Factory (Dechapanich), one of the largest nylon fishnet factories in the world, went on strike strike The most common form of industrial action, a strike is a concerted stoppage of work by employees for a limited period of time. Can assume a wide variety of forms.
See general strike, intermittent strike, rotating strike, sit-down strike, sympathy strike, wildcat strike on 9 September to support their demand for reinstatement of six co-workers dismissed by the company the day before. The company dismissed the six workers for taking more than three days of leave each month. When the six dismissed workers demanded the return of their work documents, they found that the company had written the word “cancelled” next to their work visa. Also, the workers’ overseas workers identification card, issued by Burma’s Ministry of Labour, had been altered by putting photos and information other than that of the worker. Without proper work documents, the workers could not look for other work and were subject to deportation. The workers also complained that they were receiving THB 140 (USD 4.65) per day while the statutory minimum wage for Khon Kaen was THB 157 (USD 5.30) per day and that they did not receive any overtime pay. On 14 September, local immigration authorities reinstated the work visas for the dismissed workers, and on 15 September, Dechapanich agreed to return work documents to all employees. However, as of 8 October, there were still about 369 migrant workers who had still not received their documents.
ILO Core Conventions Ratified:
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
29 Forced Labour (1930) 100 Equal Remuneration for Work of Equal Value (1951) 105 Abolition of Forced Labour (1957) 138 Minimum Age for Employment (1973) 182 Worst Forms of Child Labour Convention (1999)
Population:
Capital: Bangkok
Capital: Bangkok
reported violations - 2011
Documented violations - actual number of cases may be higher