Thai ‘home workers’ protest at worsening work conditions
The drive to introduce First World standards of employment legislation into developing nation economies appears to be backfiring badly in certain countries, where many ‘home workers’ displaced from factories closed down by the new laws are now finding it even harder to make a living.
In Bangkok, the capital of Thailand, last week, the government heard from a delegation of such workers, many of whom are contracted as leather sewers. Urging the government to speed up its efforts to introduce new legislation to regulate the industry, the workers painted a bleak picture of worsening working conditions, poor pay and widespread mistreatment by their contractors - many of whom are their former employers.
Common problems cited were poor or non-existent training, the health and safety risks posed by using hazardous chemicals in the home and the straightforward non-payment of wages.
Duangduen Khamchai, of Chiang Mai, said home workers found themselves cheated or ripped off by middlemen. "The wages are low while our products are sold at very high prices. They claim we are not doing it up to standard," she said. The Labour Ministry has put more than 15 million baht into a home worker support scheme under a social investment plan. However, Mrs Duangduen said some local leaders hogged funding for their relatives and friends.
Suthinee Chawengsap, who supervises a government-sponsored take-home jobs scheme, said new laws were being drafted to protect home workers, and could be ready next year. However, she admitted that in the meantime, without the protection of employment legislation, many home workers would continue to suffer mistreatment.
"Some jobs are dangerous to their health such as those involving use of chemicals. It is dangerous not only to the workers themselves but family members," she said.
