BANGKOK, 30 June 2015 – According to the Thai Chamber of Commerce, business operators across the country believe the hike in daily labour minimum wage should be delayed.
In March, the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee called for Prime Minister Prayut Chan-o-cha to increase the minimum wage to 360 baht from the current 300 baht, sparking debates in many industries.
The TCC has recently conducted a survey on 218 business owners in the kingdom and found that the majority of them agreed that now is not the right time to increase the daily wage, due to a slow recovery of the Thai economy.
36.5 % of those surveyed expressed their belief that the old system under which wages vary by each province based on the cost of living should be reinstated. Most said that the appropriate daily minimum wage should be set at 293.45 baht.
Business operators are of opinion that the daily minimum wage hike will severely affect their businesses by raising the capital cost and forcing them to initiate layoffs to offset the losses.
According to the TCC, the current daily wage of 300 baht should be kept and that the rate should also be set according to the location, business type and level of labour skill.
