OPINION

Hike those wages

Re: "Panel aims to delay wage hike", (Business, Dec 5).

Khun Sanan Angubolkul, chairman of the Thai Chamber of Commerce, declares that if the government pushes ahead with the wage hike, businesses will bear the brunt. I would say if wages consistently do not rise, then normal people bear the brunt.

And every economist must admit that when people have no money, they cannot consume, and the economy cannot recover or grow.

"Competitive, competitive, competitive" is the mantra of the business interest pushers. It is not in the interests of a healthy economy.

Leave THAI alone

Re: "Govt raises stake in THAI, but will not take direct control", (BP, Dec 1).

The government shouldn't hold THAI stock at all, let alone be its biggest shareholder. When the government last had THAI stock, it flew the airline straight into the bankruptcy court -- leading THAI's union to staunchly oppose Ung ing now appointing more senior managers for the carrier.

We have other choices for evacuating Thais from harm's way. For example, during the Covid-19 crisis. Germany utilised military aircraft to remove its citizens from Wuhan, China, and the US chartered a cargo airline flight. France utilised the EU Civil Protection Mechanism to repatriate its citizens -- and we have its Asean counterpart, the AHA Centre.

THAI's union bitterly recalls that the last time our government influenced THAI, it made a bee line straight into bankruptcy court. Taxpayers should join the union in resisting political interference and leave THAI operations to its capable management.

Too many mishaps

Re: "Exat safety measures", (PostBag, Dec 5) & "Road safety above profits", (Editorial, Dec 3).

I nearly choked on my morning coffee when I read the PostBag contribution regarding Exat's safety measures. So, there have only been three accidents (also described as mishaps) on Exat sites on Rama II this year? Well, that's something to be proud of! We're the least bad, so we should be lauded. What an incredible attitude.

These are not accidents; they're avoidable incidents, and if proper health and safety measures were applied, they should not occur once, never mind three times. And describing these incidents flippantly as mishaps does not make them any less serious (as the tugboat incident is also described in your publication today). With such an approach, it's not surprising that these statistics in Thailand are as they are.

Rama II shame

Re: "Rama II motorway construction put on hold after fatal crane collapse", (BP, Dec 1).

As an undergraduate student living in Thailand, I feel extremely sad and ashamed about another accident that happened during the construction of the Rama II motorway. It reflects a lack of security and questionable standards of engineering safety.

Unfortunately, this is not the only accident that has happened on the Rama II motorway. There have been many construction accidents on highways. It is unacceptable that we cannot drive on the road and feel safe. When will something else fall on our heads as we drive by?

It is not just the construction companies who are to blame. Government departments responsible for overseeing construction on public highways are also at fault. Do they not owe a duty of care to us, the general public?