It’s no secret that the majority of Thailand’s businesses tossed their employees to the curb with little or no compensation when the country began shutting down due to the coronavirus.
Bar workers, especially those working for agencies, got nothing and can’t even collect relief from the government. Tour guides, boat crews and street vendors are still waiting for paltry 5,000-baht government handouts. Full-time workers can collect only half or less of their monthly salaries.
All of that was unacceptable to the owners of the Thai Garden Resort.
Like all the hotels in Pattaya, the hotel run by Gerrit and Anselma Niehaus has shut down. But before it did, the Niehauses met with their employees and pledged to support them, not only with a final paycheck or a one-time handout, but monthly.
All of the 150 employees at Thai Garden are equally receiving 10,000 baht a month from the Niehauses until such time as the situation returns to normal and the hotel will be in full operation again.
Together, they hope, their valued employees can survive the pandemic and come back to work when the Thai Garden opens again.
Like too many of those with deep pockets staging food handouts, Gerrit Neihaus didn’t put out a press release and live stream his charity. His effort sprung from a personality and business ethics that have made the Thai Garden Resort a Pattaya institution.
