The Thai Chamber of Commerce has proposed “Quick Big Win” measures to enhance labour management.
After a meeting with Labour Minister Treenuch Thienthong, Poj Aramwattananont, chairman of the chamber, said it has proposed six measures to address labour challenges, aiming for tangible results within four months.
The proposals include opposing amendments to the draft Labour Protection Act. He said the private sector should have an opportunity to express balanced and fair opinions for both employers and employees. Any amendment should not adversely affect national competitiveness, the investment climate or overall economic conditions.
The chamber also proposed the minimum wage adjustments should use a tripartite wage committee mechanism that considers the cost of living, production costs, labour productivity and local economic conditions to ensure fairness and balance for both employers and employees.
The ministry agreed to present this proposal to the national wage committee.
The chamber urged the government to review the foreign worker security deposit regulations by following the 2016 Ministerial Regulation on the issuance, renewal and security deposit requirements for foreign labour importation (Clause 22) to reduce cost burdens for businesses currently hiring migrant workers.
The private sector also called for labour skill enhancement by establishing a government-private-academic partnership to develop skills in line with industrial needs.
He said the chamber urged the government to establish a one-stop service centre for labour to facilitate visa and work permit processing for foreign investors and provide legal and regulatory consultations.
The centre would include agencies such as the Immigration Bureau, the Board of Investment and the Department of Foreign Trade, while also reducing costs and procedures for importing workers in labour-intensive industries.
Another proposal is establishing a joint public-private committee on labour to serve as a central mechanism to integrate labour policy proposals between the public and private sectors and achieve concrete outcomes within four months.
Mr Poj said the minister accepted all six proposals, which would be integrated with the ministry’s labour policy framework.
Ms Treenuch also endorsed the establishment of the joint public-private labour committee and directed the ministry to hold detailed talks with relevant agencies urgently.