Paypacket Boost In Bangkok Next Year

[george]

Paypacket boost in Bangkok next year

Minimum wage up to 170 baht a day

BANGKOK: The minimum wage for Bangkok, Samut Prakan, Samut Sakhon, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi and Nakhon Pathom provinces will go up to 170 baht a day from Jan 1, says the Central Wage Committee.

The rate will increase 1-5 baht in 48 provinces. The minimum wage in 28 other provinces will not change.

Only one province, Samut Songkhram, will get the 5-baht increase from 133 baht to 138 baht. The only province to get a 4-baht increase is Sa Kaeo, from 133 to 137 baht.

Eleven provinces will get a 3-baht increase.

Twenty-six provinces will get a 2-baht increase. Nine provinces will get a 1-baht increase.

Charupong Ruangsuwan, the permanent secretary for labour, will send the committee's decision to Labour Minister Uraiwan Thienthong who will tell cabinet.

An employer representative on the Central Wage Committee said the increase was based on the consumer price index, inflation and economic growth in each province.

An employee representative said the minimum wages in 28 provinces would stay unchanged because the wage sub-committee in those provinces did not ask for an increase.

Some provinces may want to use low labour costs to draw investors, he said.

Nongnuch Timchang, secretary to a labour union in Nakhon Ratchasima, said workers there were not satisfied with the minimum wage being frozen at 145 baht a day.

The workers would rally on Nov 30 asking the governor, also chairman of the provincial wage sub-committee, to review the decision.

--Bangkok Post 2003-11-27