PUBLISHED: 13 Nov 2024 at 04: 00
As a result of the government’s failure to pay 10,000 of its employees for eight weeks by suppliers of a fresh fuel project in Chon Buri, hundreds of workers protested in front of Government House on Tuesday.
Protesters from the Federation of Contractors, representing at least 28 supplier companies, submitted the complaint to Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra. Justice Minister Pol Col Tawee Sodsong and Deputy Secretary-General Somkid Chueakong, the prime minister for democratic affairs, received it.
Thitapat Reewatpatthananan, director of the union, read the statement and asked the government for assistance. She said the main contractor, a consortium of Petrofac South East Asia Pte Ltd, Saipem Singapore Pte Ltd, and Samsung E&, A ( Thailand ) Co Ltd, which Thai Oil hired to construct its Clean Fuel Project ( CFP ) in Sri Racha district, had not paid the group of subcontractors involved in the construction of the oil refinery.
Despite having previously completed the work in accordance with the contract, the suppliers are having serious issues. More than 10,000 workers have been negatively impacted financially by the work that has been ongoing since February, totaling various billion baht.
Due to unfair contracts, which require contractors to continue working even after the main company has not yet paid the instalments, there is a long-term cash lack. In order to avoid being sued for damages, some suppliers are also required to keep working unpaid.
We call on the state to assist in this situation, urging it to support our 10,000 employees who have been without pay for eight months.