PHUKET: Any serious disgruntlement among Phuket's estimated 200,000 Burmese workers is likely to surface on Monday, when monthly pay for all employees is due to reflect the new 300 baht daily minimum wage for the first time.
Phuket and six Bangkok-centred provinces are pioneering the new national daily rate, which was introduced on April 1 and will spread to other provinces before 2013.
Rumbles of discontent have been heard among Burmese migrant workers in factories in other parts of Thailand about pay and conditions, including some involving goods destined for the large American retail conglomerate, Wal-Mart.
On Phuket, it's believed many Burmese do not know their rights and may not be aware that all workers, both from Thailand and other countries, are entitled to the new minimum wage.
When the old minimum of 221 baht a month was introduced last year, Phuket rated as the most expensive place to live in Thailand. The consumer price index is believed to have increased since then.
Legal Burmese workers on Phuket are obliged by their documentation to work with a single employer. Illegal workers may not feel restricted in their employment options.
Whether they are expecting a pay rise on Monday may depend on what kind of pay rate and conditions they have negotiated illegally.
If legal Burmese workers were free to change employers quickly, a drift could be expected from the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi to better-paid employment on Phuket.
However, contacts in the Burmese community say that it's not unusual for Burmese construction workers to already be paid 250 baht a day. No flow-on pay rise is expected in the Thai fishing industry, where human trafficking, slave labor and rights abuses are frequently reported.
Kittipong Laonipong, Director of the Department of Labor Ptotection and Welfare on Phuket, said that illegal Burmese workers in other provinces could certainly be eyeing jobs on Phuket - but only if employers paid their illegal workers the new legal minimum.
Police and Immigration officials would have to intervene and enforce the law if such a trend became discernable, he said. Many illegal workers on Phuket pay bribes to stay here.
Htoo Chit, the region's spokesperson for Burmese workers, says he does not expect to see a rapid change in the relationship between Phuket employers and their workers.
''Many Burmese are delighted at the new approaches being shown by the government back in Burma,'' he said. ''But for most, there are not enough new jobs being created there to think about going back yet.''
Wal-Mart, which has undertaken to follow its strict code of principles and investigate allegations about mistreatment of workers at one of its Thai suppliers, has at the same time faced strong criticism this week after the New York Times alleged a corruption coverup as the US retail giant expanded its business across Mexico.
Phuket and six Bangkok-centred provinces are pioneering the new national daily rate, which was introduced on April 1 and will spread to other provinces before 2013.
Rumbles of discontent have been heard among Burmese migrant workers in factories in other parts of Thailand about pay and conditions, including some involving goods destined for the large American retail conglomerate, Wal-Mart.
On Phuket, it's believed many Burmese do not know their rights and may not be aware that all workers, both from Thailand and other countries, are entitled to the new minimum wage.
When the old minimum of 221 baht a month was introduced last year, Phuket rated as the most expensive place to live in Thailand. The consumer price index is believed to have increased since then.
Legal Burmese workers on Phuket are obliged by their documentation to work with a single employer. Illegal workers may not feel restricted in their employment options.
Whether they are expecting a pay rise on Monday may depend on what kind of pay rate and conditions they have negotiated illegally.
If legal Burmese workers were free to change employers quickly, a drift could be expected from the neighboring provinces of Phang Nga and Krabi to better-paid employment on Phuket.
However, contacts in the Burmese community say that it's not unusual for Burmese construction workers to already be paid 250 baht a day. No flow-on pay rise is expected in the Thai fishing industry, where human trafficking, slave labor and rights abuses are frequently reported.
Kittipong Laonipong, Director of the Department of Labor Ptotection and Welfare on Phuket, said that illegal Burmese workers in other provinces could certainly be eyeing jobs on Phuket - but only if employers paid their illegal workers the new legal minimum.
Police and Immigration officials would have to intervene and enforce the law if such a trend became discernable, he said. Many illegal workers on Phuket pay bribes to stay here.
Htoo Chit, the region's spokesperson for Burmese workers, says he does not expect to see a rapid change in the relationship between Phuket employers and their workers.
''Many Burmese are delighted at the new approaches being shown by the government back in Burma,'' he said. ''But for most, there are not enough new jobs being created there to think about going back yet.''
Wal-Mart, which has undertaken to follow its strict code of principles and investigate allegations about mistreatment of workers at one of its Thai suppliers, has at the same time faced strong criticism this week after the New York Times alleged a corruption coverup as the US retail giant expanded its business across Mexico.
I for one, hope that every poor sod who has to spend 12 hrs/day, 30/days a month (because these are about the only jobs that even pay under 300 baht per day to my understanding) doing work that most of us wouldn't even consider, get their 3 wrinkly notes a day. Personally I think they deserve 4 - but then what would I know, I'm not a capitalist economist with only the maximising of profit on my mind, I just see what I see - and it's not fair. We might need to increase wages in the future anyway if Burma actually follows through with the reforms. Here's hoping.
Posted by James on April 26, 2012 18:42