The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare (DLPW) is expediting the case of plane debris collectors being injured at work and has challenged the employer in question for hiring child labour.
The DLPW is calling for the case to be brought to court expeditiously and is ready to coordinate with the Social Security Office (SSO) to obtain remedies for the concerned employees in accordance with their rights.
DLPW Director-General Apinya Sujarittanan revealed that on 1 June 2020, Pavena Hongsakul, President of the Pavena Foundation for Children and Women, along with four plane debris collectors employed by a business in Don Mueang District, Bangkok, came to the DLPW seeking help. Assigned to move plane debris, the debris collectors and some of their colleagues experienced electric shocks resulting in death and injury. Unpaid wages and illegal labour were also suspected.
The victims initially reported the case to the labour inspectorate in mid-May. The inspectorate initially examined elements in the case and proceeded to call for the employer to be investigated. More evidence is now being gathered. In case it is found that the employer did not comply with the law, they will be punished.
The DLPW Director-General added that the Department has assigned the inspectorate to coordinate with the SSO to provide remedies for the injured employees and the families of the dead, and ensure that they receive legal remedy. The SSO has already acted accordingly and has issued a reminder to all employers that hiring employees under 15 years of age is an offence under The Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541. The penalty is a fine of 400,000-800,000 baht per child employee or imprisonment of up to two years. Moreover, if planning to hire an employee aged 15-18, employers are required to notify the labour inspectorate beforehand.
