The Ministry of Labour of the Kingdom of Thailand has organised a series of meetings to promote better awareness on regulations on employment contracts and wage payments for labour in the fisheries sector, as stipulated in the Ministerial Regulation on the Protection of Labour in Sea Fishing Work, B.E. 2561 (2018) which has been effective since 3 April 2018 and in the Notification of the Department of Welfare and Labour Protection on the Formulation of Employment Contract in Sea Fishing Work. Participants included representatives from the public sector, commercial banks, fisheries associations, fisheries enterprenuers, and labour in the fisheries sector. 

 

Since February 2018, five meetings have been held in 22 coastal provinces, such as  Trang, Samut Songkram, Songkhla, Petchaburi, and Samut Sakhon, with a total of 928 participants. The meetings were aimed at promoting legal practices and cooperation among stakeholders, as well as to ensure that labourers will be entitled to protection and benefits according to the law.

 

The prinicipal objective of the meetings  focussed on the new regulations set out by the Ministerial Regulations. These include the obligations that an employer (1) shall record the documents relating to the payment of wages and overtime pay in Thai and keep them available at the workplace for inspection by labour inspectors; (2) shall make correct payments within an agreed timeframe at least once  a month; (3) shall make a monthly payment to employees according to the daily minimum wage multiplied by 30 days; and (4) shall make the wage payment via bank transfer. Moreover, an employer engaging in overseas fishing shall install communication or satellite devices to facilitate messaging services not lower than one megabyte per person per month, in order for all crew to have access to communications and contact with authorities or their families at all times, the cost of which is to be borne by the employer.  

 

The Ministry of Labour has also cooperated with the International Labour Organization (ILO) to publicise material on labour rights, providing basic information on proper wage payments and working hours, safety and hygiene at work, union organising rights, and complaints-lodging channels. They also provide the instructions on how to use the automated teller machines, 81 of which have been installed in the 22 coastal provinces. The information is available in the form of leaflets and video clips which can be accessed via the QR code as shown on the leaflets, and, apart from the Thai version, are also translated into English, Myanmar, and Cambodian languages in order to truly reach out to all migrant workers. 

 

The Ministry of Labour by the Department of Welfare and Labour Protection has instructed its officials designated to each Port-in Port-out (PIPO) Control Center to promote better understanding with all employers and workers in their areas, and has advised its labour inspectors to strictly abide by the Regulation on Labour Inspection and Criminal Proceedings according to the Ministerial Regulation on Labour Protection in Sea Fishing Work so as to ensure the standard of practices and effective law enforcement.