The misery of the majority

COMMENTARY

Published: 30 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

We have been hearing a lot of complaints about the 300-baht minimum wage from business operators. What about listening to our maids, food vendors, taxi drivers, and people who are not on company payrolls for a change?

Start with Nuchnapa Bamrungna, who works at home in Khon Kaen.

"No, we haven't received the 300-baht daily minimum wage like salaried workers," she said. "We're paid piece-rate, by the number of fishing nets we make. I work more than 10 hours a day and get less than 100 baht. No one is thinking about us."

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spiceman
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Discussion 19 : 31 Jan 2013 at 03.1019
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Khun Domdunnn #18, there are 5.6 million people living in Denmark. How many people living in BKK alone, do you know? Like Sweden, and Norway, besides being small and highly developed country, Denmark benefits greatly from strong Scandinavian culture of centralized Govt. As a result, average Danes pay more than 50% in taxes, and there is little or no corruption in Danish Govt. too. So, Denmark is rather exception than the norm, and I think the bitter cold climate has something to do with it too. My point is Denmark and Thailand have virtually nothing in common.
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domdunnn
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Discussion 18 : 30 Jan 2013 at 23.3218
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boons D17

"Show me.......". Try Denmark.
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boons
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Discussion 17 : 30 Jan 2013 at 19.5917
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Show me a nation with effective minimum wage policies, welfare, free medical care and benefits that isn't bankrupt.

The argument of the way society "should" be is always devoid of mathematics. The reason Japan and most western nations are utterly bankrupt is because they attempted to defy mathematics and create wealth by policy. Morally those arguments are quite strong indeed. But mathematically they fail miserably.

Wealth is created at an INDIVIDUAL level by clever, smart, creative and hard-working people. Bestowing wealth with a broad brush upon society can only be disastrous in the long term.
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spiceman
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Discussion 16 : 30 Jan 2013 at 18.4316
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The law of Economics said that "There is no free lunch, as it will always cost someone something." The minimum wage law is in itself a testament of the Govt's own on-going macroeconomic failure. "Whipping a dead horse" won't make you go anywhere, and that's the reason why companies after companies are closing down. As Thailand is making a transition toward a more modern Economy, we need to pay attention to economic fundamental, as well as, past painful mistakes made by others, so we don't have to repeat them ourselves. I hope that it is still not too late to do that.
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kasper
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Discussion 15 : 30 Jan 2013 at 18.0315
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"After years of campaigns, the government finally allowed informal workers to join social security programmes. But the fee-paying system is costly and difficult, thus forcing many to drop out."

Surprice surprice, to most thais public welfare is a one way street. Everyone wants to benefit, but noone wants to contribute, which is why most thais, including ALL taxi drivers, choose not to declare their income!
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ianprince
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Discussion 14 : 30 Jan 2013 at 17.1914
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"What can you do when your bosses are unwilling?"

She get another boss. Work is easy to find in Thailand.
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jwatch
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Discussion 13 : 30 Jan 2013 at 13.0613
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IMHO, the wage increases should have been done in phases to also allow the SME's to adjust
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justfacts
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Discussion 12 : 30 Jan 2013 at 12.5612
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I think it would be very interesting to know exactly how many of PT's government pay the 300 baht minimun wage to all their drivers,maids,gardeners and in Chalerms case someone to remove his shoes for him
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djay
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Discussion 11 : 30 Jan 2013 at 12.0011
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@jacksprat, agreed but how does it impact the law. If you hire a maid but you do not provide her with a room (she lives at her own home), you pay her the minimum wage of 300 baht. If I hire a maid, but I also provide a room for her to live in - which she does not pay for - does the cost of that room count towards the 300 baht minimum?
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dougo
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Discussion 10 : 30 Jan 2013 at 10.4410
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"Being unable to make ends meet, we end up in debt to loan sharks..." I know of a few Thais who have gone to loan sharks. It never works out well. It takes no genius to realise that if you pay 5% interest per month, you will eventually have to pay double the loan in 20 months. If you are up against it right now, how do you expect to pay double that in a short period of time? And if you borrow in order to gamble (as in one case I know), you're surely on your way to disaster, and you'll deserve it.
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The misery of the majority | Bangkok Post: opinion