No decision was made at the tripartite meeting regarding the 400 baht nationwide minimum wage increase on May 14.
However, a timeline has been set for each province to determine their stance before proposing it back to the main committee.
Kharom Polpornklang, Deputy Spokesman of the Prime Minister’s Office, revealed that the Cabinet on Tuesday acknowledged progress on setting the 400 baht minimum wage nationwide by the Ministry of Labor and the Wage Committee. They have planned to take the following steps.
- Surveying necessary living costs for new industrial workers from April-June 2024.
- Holding discussions in May 2024 with the Federation of Thai Industries and Thai Chamber of Commerce on impacts of the minimum wage increase.
- The Wage Committee Office will develop guidelines and criteria for reviewing appropriate provincial minimum wage rates based on academic principles and national standards from May-August 2024.
- The Tripartite Committee comprising employers, employees and the government will consider provincial subcommittee proposals and submit the Wage Committee’s announcement for publication in the Royal Gazette to take effect in September-October 2024.
Later in the evening at the Ministry of Labor, Pairoj Chotikasatien, Permanent Secretary for Labor and Wage Committee Chair, announced results of the tripartite discussions between employers, employees and government after over 4 hours of meetings.
He said no conclusion was reached on the 400 baht nationwide minimum wage increase effective October 1. However, they agreed for the Provincial Minimum Wage Subcommittees to hold meetings and propose their provincial minimum wages by July 2024. These will be submitted to the Screening Subcommittee and Wage Committee for consideration.
They will take into account living necessities for employees, employers’ payment capabilities, and provincial economic and social contexts. The proposed numbers may exceed 400 baht for some occupations, not necessarily equal across provinces and businesses, as some, especially SMEs and agriculture, may not be ready.
The next Wage Committee meeting will be on June 19, 2024. A final decision is expected around August after provinces complete their studies. (TNA)
