Agreement on minimum wage increase in Thailand as of April 1
The minimum daily wage in Thailand will increase from April 1 by 5 to 22 baht. This is the first increase in three years. Phuket, Chon Buri and Rayong will receive the highest rate of 330 baht per day, the committee that had to make a decision announced.
The government is satisfied with the outcome, which is consistent with the current economic situation, said Deputy Prime Minister Somkid. He points out that the increase has been approved by employee and employer organisations. Despite this, employees and employers are not satisfied. The Thai Labor Solidarity Committee wants an increase to 360 baht nationwide and no differences by province, yet they find agreed increases from 308 to 330 baht acceptable.
The Federation of Thai Industries thinks the higher wages could negatively affect SMEs as they face higher production costs. Large companies can easily overcome this because they can invest in robots and automation to save on labor costs, says chairman Chen.
Companies that are in danger of getting into trouble can turn to the Ministry of Finance for tax measures, says Somkid.
The Department of Commerce should monitor the prices of goods and services to ensure that consumer prices are in reasonable proportion to the increases.
Source: Bangkok Post
Assuming Sunday off (and therefore no income) just under TBH 9.000 p/m. Housing, moped and child(ren) at school and food and you can calculate it yourself. Hope you stay healthy because good health insurance is not in it.
Housing + simple food and you have already lost more than 50% of your minimum wage.
1259 Euros net minimum wage in the Netherlands is without child rental care and I don't know what benefits I think for 100% after paying for housing and food. Gas water light, car or public transport subscriptions, school costs, cable / internet, telephone, bank costs, excess care, municipal levies, property tax, insurance, clothing and footwear, plus the postcode lottery, tell me who is tighter.
If you have to pay OZ tax, you therefore own a house.
If you receive housing benefit, you do not pay OZ tax.
Primary education is free.
If you have no medical expenses, you do not pay a deductible.
Postcode lottery is a luxury.
So you don't have to shout...
Hmmm. 1259 euros: rent roughly 400 euros that you pay yourself, healthcare premium 128 euros per month, perhaps 60 euros healthcare allowance, so 68 euros, energy easily 120 euros per month, water money 20 euros per month, insurance 25 euros per month, cable TV 24 euro per month, internet 30 euro, telephone 40 euro, clothing etc 80, bank costs 10, water board tax, waste levy together about 50 euro p/m, school costs are unknown to me but I soon estimate at 60 per month, public transport 45 per month or car costs, 80 per month, Then you have already passed the 1000 in fixed costs. Plus possibly loan repayment, wehkamp and some other unforeseen and then it's really over..... Replacement of furniture, TV, washing machine or the like must then be paid from the holiday allowance. Count your profit…
And then you have to eat too. And don't drink or smoke.
You simply cannot make it without surcharges. I think it's pretty poor that someone who just has a full-time job in one of the richest countries in the world has to keep his hand out all the time.
Oz you are right. Changed years ago, I was behind. Postcode lottery is indeed a luxury, but in general the following applies: the less income, the more lottery tickets.
Thais are treated in the hospital for 30 baht, 80 euro cents. My mother-in-law had a major operation cost 30 baht, she only had to pay for the medicines herself, 500 baht. Picked up by ambulance and brought home again at no extra cost.
You cannot just assume that they are free on Sunday, moreover, everyone cooperates in families and everything is shared, including transport, and then in most cases the house and land are owned by the owner, so no housing costs. a recalculation.
A Thai pays 30 Baht for medical expenses. Someone with a minimum wage rents a room for a maximum of 2000 baht. Also the Thai, usually work in pairs. Our gardener, together with his wife, has 2 times the minimum wage. Primary school is free, and uniforms can also be bought second hand. I think that in many cases, the Thai have even more left over per month than the Belgian or Dutch from a benefit or minimum wage.
Dear Nicky, your comparison between the minimum wage of a Thai and that of a Belgian or Dutch person is a very theoretical one.
You are right that every Thai has medical care of 30 Baht, and that he / she can also find a room for about 200 Baht if necessary.
Only if you would take a good look at this 30 Baht scheme for medical costs, you would see, just like with the rented room of 2000 Baht, that both cannot be compared in the slightest, with what even the minimum wager is used to in terms of quality in Belgium or the Netherlands.
Coincidentally, I am currently experiencing this very closely with my Thai mother-in-law, and see that the 30 Baht scheme is at most emergency care, which is nowhere near comparable to the average European care.
My mother-in-law was brought to the so-called State Hospital with an Arthritis in both knees, with terrible pain in her whole body and high fever, which could not really do anything for her, so that we, in order to relieve the little person in her pain, went to a real Hospital brought her under the care of skilled doctors comparable to Europe.
The final bill for surgery, medicine, and 8 days stay in the Hospital amounted to 180.000 Baht.
A necessary medical care that every minimum wager, and also those with her state pension of 800 Baht p / m can whistle without outside help.
In the Netherlands, everyone is entitled to good medical care, which is in no comparison with the Thai 30 Baht scheme, and even if he / she has never worked in his life, an old-age pension, where most older Thais with their 800 Baht p / m can dream.
In addition room of 200Baht should of course be 2000 Baht.
On the one hand, I understand you very well. That in many cases, the 30 baht scheme is only an emergency care, but this depends very much on the city, village or province. I also know a lot of cases, where good care is given for the minimum. And outside the city you can get a pretty reasonable room with sanitary facilities for 2000 baht. Not really an emergency room anymore.
But I also know of cases in Belgium, where people on a living wage cannot even pay for painkillers from their pension or benefits. Or who can't go to the dentist because it's only paid for a part. The times when every aspirin was paid for in Belgium or the Netherlands are long gone. I just meant that the difference in minimums is not that big at all. We also have many harrowing cases.
I've looked at a few state hospitals of which I can say that I've never seen anything like this in the Netherlands, and I obviously don't mean well.
The first time we needed medical care for my mother-in-law, only 2 nurses were present in the hospital on Saturdays on her ward.
When I asked 1 of the nurses whether the ward doctor had already visited her, I was told that the doctors were not present on both Saturday and Sunday.
There will certainly be hospitals in the larger cities, where things are better organized, but unfortunately this is not everywhere, and in terms of quality, it is far from comparable to a European standard.
The European quality that we are used to, and that you need, if there is really something serious with you, many do not find in a 30Baht hospital, without I want to generalize. There are certainly cases of people in Belgium or the Netherlands who may not be so lucky, although their fate still cannot be compared to that of many Thais.
My wife is Thai herself and because she has also seen it differently in Europe, has the same opinion as me, and can only shake her head at people who do not see this difference, and keep complaining about the homeland, where everything is so bad.
A law without control is worthless. In many places, workers are handed their wages without duplicate receipts. Employers often do not pay 300 baht. I know many places where it is only 250 baht. If people still have to rent a room, it is completely insufficient. And what about travel costs to work? I know someone who had his motorcycle confiscated by the police for payment of 6000 baht! Now that man has lost his job because he didn't show up for two days, despite his explanation. The police were also unwilling to make an arrangement.
A loveless country!
A joke an increase of 22 bath per day .
Well, you can certainly kick in a door with that.
The minimum wage in Thailand is too much to die on and not enough to live on.
And do they really believe that the economy will collapse and companies will move to other places .
If the minimum came to 360 .
As long as there are still characters walking around with expensive watches , it will not be too bad .
Jan Beute.
“A law without control is worthless,” writes Piloe. I totally agree.
If you live in Chiang Mai and you work in a restaurant or shop, for example, you will not even pay the current 300 Baht per day, but somewhere between 200 and 250 Baht. And government control is 0,0! I am not talking about the large – sometimes international – chain stores and hotel/restaurants.
The worst part is that in these types of sectors people over 30 have almost no chance of finding work because people go for very young and therefore even cheaper.
I'm not making that up, but I have it first hand from a number of Thais in Chiang Mai who are looking for a job for 300 Baht that they would be very happy with, but who can hardly find it.
In and in sad!
Also live in Chiang Mai, but finding a good girl for 400 Baht is not easy.
Especially if it's only for 1 or 2 days a week. Yes, they are willing to come for the whole month for a salary of 10.000 baht. What the hell am I supposed to do with an everyday girl? Besides, that I just don't want someone over every day
If you send them to get groceries very often, problem solved, if necessary, let her get it in Bangkok.
But all kidding aside, who wants to come and work for you for 2 days a week?
They want a full-time job and not 2 or 3 addresses a week or you have to go up slightly with the daily wage.
It is more than understandable that a Thai prefers a job where he / she has work for the whole month.
That someone doesn't need them every day may be nice and true, but the average Thai who is dependent on a real month of Job doesn't care.
It says “the first increase in three years”, but there was also an increase last year, right?
That involved even more laughable/sadder amounts than now (up to 10 THB per day.)
See: https://www.thailandblog.nl/thailand/minimumdagloon-omhoog/
Did that not happen in the end?
Wage increases go hand in hand with price increases (see 2013) and ultimately do not solve anything for minimum wage workers, I think it even creates a problem because in 2013 I heard more about the price increases than the actual wage increases
Employees should be affiliated with social security for medical expenses, slightly more expensive (5% of wages up to a max of 759thb) but then you have good medical care in a state or private hospital * of which some are also members, of your choice
Every employee can join the Union/union and they take care of your interests, at least the minimum wage, social security and things like that. This can also be done individually for smaller companies.
The multinationals are a separate class, they are so strictly controlled by the device that everything goes at least according to the legislation. And that also implies annual salary increases, bonuses, extra days off related to years of service and so on.
In conclusion, it is the Thai employer who mistreats the Thai (and migrant) employee, that is their business and they should sort it out themselves…
I would not compare the minimum wages with each other, partly because of the differences in personal situations and allowances and deduction options that differ completely. Apples and Apples