Minister backs bill for Thailand’s 20 million informal workers

According to a spokesman for the government, Labour Minister Phiphat Ratchakitprakarn is pushing for a bill to improve the safety and security of some 20 million casual employees.

Phumiphat Mueanchan said the Labour Ministry does get talks with the commission’s secretary-general on when the costs can get tabled for government account.

According to Mr. Phumiphat, informal workers make up the majority of the workplace.

However, they are not recognised by workers rules, making them vulnerable.

These workers face a wide range of issues, he said, from lack of access to funding to labor risks, and the bill’s goal is to close gaps and provide safeguards for them.

The idea of the invoice is to involve the register of informal workers, such as shipping service riders, farmers, vendors, actors, online content creators and influencers, so the ministry is develop a policy and manage the appropriate budgets to help them, he said.

No details were available as to cost, but proper enrollment will make them more visible in the system, improving the government’s ability to target pleasure.

Local labor volunteers and community leaders from across the country recently partnered with a government project to raise awareness of the bill by encouraging the registration of casual workers.

So far, Mr Phumiphat said, more than 17, 000 people have expressed curiosity in registering, with as many as 9 million informal workers expected to enroll in the first year.

Nine other labour-related charges were also reaffirmed following the election of Prime Minister Paetongtarn Shinawatra, and the act was submitted to the government secretary’s company during former prime minister Srettha Thavisin’s presidency. The costs will get forwarded to congress for evaluation once it has been approved by the government.

The bill, which was reviewed by the Council of State, split casual workers into two parties: self-employed such as producers and distributors, and partly-dependent such as shipping company users. A bank to help underprivileged people is also suggested in the act.