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BKK POST: January 24, 1998: LABOUR
- Subject: BKK POST: January 24, 1998: LABOUR
- From: suriya@xxxxxxxxxxxx
- Date: Fri, 23 Jan 1998 22:58:00
January 24, 1998: LABOUR
Deporting aliens
would hurt rice,
fishery sectors
Wages and working conditions attract
very few Thais
Byline Here Supaphan Plengmaneepun Woranuj
Maneerungsee
At least two businesses - fisheries and rice - could be
devastated if the government goes ahead with its plan to
repatriate alien workers as both industries employ large numbers
of foreign workers, largely because Thais do not like the work,
according to academics and industry leaders.
The fishery in particular has been ignored by Thai workers as it
pays low wages and the work is potentially dangerous and
unhealthy, according to Chulalongkorn University economist Lae
Dilokwitthayarat.
Labour Minister Trairong Suwankhiri announced earlier this
month that the government intended to repatriate 300,000 illegal
workers within three months.
There are about 300,000 aliens employed by the fishery
industries, including 70,000 at sea. A further 3,000 foreigners
work in the rice warehouses along Chao Phrya River, mainly in
Samut Prakan and Bangkok.
The fishery industry will see many closure if the government
remains intent on repatriating all alien workers, warned Vicharn
Sirichai-ekawat, president of Thai Fisheries Association.
"If the government insists on forcing all the alien workforce out of
the country, the only alternative for the fisheries business
closure," he said.
Mr Vicharn said he believed Thais still had a bad attitude toward
working in the industry.
According to Mr Vicharn, in addition to the 370,000 aliens
directly employed by the industry, there were an additional
200,000 employed in fish canning factories.
He said the fishery operators had no objection in principle to the
government's policy of replacing alien workers with Thai labour.
In fact, the industry prefers Thai workers as it is more convenient
for communication and does not create problems of illegal entry
by the alien workers.
He said alien workers enter Thailand through three channels -
crossing the border, being imported by job placement firms and
entering the country with the knowledge of some Thai authorities.
He said authorities charged about 2,000-5,000 baht per person.
Mr Vicharn said alien workers favoured working in the fishery
industry because they earned good incomes and could easily
escape arrest.
The Fisheries Association previously called on its members to
register their alien workers.
But after registration, the alien workers moved out of the industry
to find better jobs resulting in the recurrent labour shortage.
The fishery industry is now predicting it will be short of about
100,000 workers, particularly in the factories in Samut Sakhon,
as a result of the registration of aliens.
Mr Vicharn strongly denied allegations that the private sector
had imported alien workers to reduce costs, saying anyone who
makes such suggestions does not know the facts.
He said the public and private sector should hold discussions to
negotiate a workable solution to the problem.
"Let's talk. There is no need to make a mountain out of a
molehill," he said. "Now most operators are downhearted over
the government's plan to repatriate alien workers."
And the situation is getting worse as some authorities are
extorting money from the fishery operators, he alleged.
The Fisheries Association is due to meet on tomorrow to discuss
the problem.
However, a source from the Fishery Department, who asked not
to be named, rejected Mr Vicharn's remarks, saying some
operators were behaving selfishly by demanding access to cheap
labour and unwilling to pay social welfare as demanded by the
law.
He said he believed Thais would be willing to work in the
industry if they were paid reasonable wages.
He added repatriation of alien workers within in a short period
would not be an easy job as political factors are expected
complicate the process.
Sombun Pathaichan, manager of the Rice Exporters'
Association, said the government's repatriation programme
would definitely affect the 57 billion baht rice industry.
He said workers were employed to load the 100-kilo sacks of
rice from the godowns onto barges or lighters, and unload to
vessels which are anchored off Ko Si Chang in Chon Buri before
departing to overseas markets.
About 3,000 alien workers replaced Thai labourers three years
ago when the economy was booming as Thai preferred to work
as taxi drivers and in industrial plants. The alien workers were
employed with the government's permission, Mr Sombun said.
"We need sufficient workers in the rice business to ensure rice
will be delivered to buyer countries on schedule, otherwise we
will face expensive fines," he said.
The rice industry employs workers from neighbouring countries
on a daily rate of between 300 baht and 400 baht, said Mr
Sombun. "Even with such a high pay rate, I don't think Thai
workers will want to be labourers at the rice godowns."
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