Burmese Migrants in Thailand: An Overview and Analysis
by Jon Fox

27 November 2009

Hope drives them on

Maung, a bright-eyed factory worker from Burma's capital Rangoon, is also working illegally in one of Tak province's many factories. He taught English in Burma and speaks it well, a fact that quickly got him off the factory floor and into an administrative office. For the most part, he deals with inventories and translates for the bosses, serving as an intermediary between management and the other Burmese speaking workers. He usually works 12-hour days, earning about 80 baht a day after his living expenses are deducted. At less then 2,000 baht per month, Muang's meager daily wage in Thailand is still double what he could earn working in Burma, if there was a job for him.

Maung has been in Thailand for nearly eight months now, and plans to stay and work for at least a year. At 23, he is tired of just getting by. He finally decided to leave Burma after the political and economic situation became unbearable. Coming to Thailand he said was easy, and a week after leaving Rangoon, Maung was hard at work in a factory in Thailand. “I am learning so much working in Thailand,” he said, adding “When I get home I will use what I learn here to make a life for myself in Burma.”

Protecting their own

Thailand's Labor Protection Act, updated in 2008, does not discriminate between Thais and foreigners in terms of labor rights protection and just wages. According to current Ministry of Labor official statistics, minimum wage in Thailand varies from 203 baht per day in Bangkok to 104 baht per day in the rural provinces. Illegal and unprotected like many migrant workers, Kaija's and Maung's daily wage falls short of what Thai law guarantees.

Despite the legislative advances in Thai labor law, local implementation leaves much to be desired. Community-based organizations working with local migrant workers in Thailand point to the considerable gap between law and practice, legislation and enforcement.  The stories told by migrant workers in Mae Sot vary from those in Phuket, where local authorities enforce more strict regulations.¹⁰

Labor groups draw attention to the fact that much depends on the goodwill and understanding of local officials and law enforcement, creating disparities across Thailand’s regions. The reality on the ground suggests that Thai authorities must take stronger action to insure that its policies are implemented evenly across the country, and do not simply get filed away in a Bangkok ministry desk.

Thailand needs clear polices and laws regulating the employment of alien workers within its borders.  These laws must uphold standards of human rights and general principles of fairness, justice, and equality. With more and more Thai nationals migrating abroad seeking employment and brighter futures for themselves and their families, Thailand must do more to protect the migrant workers within its own borders. Thailand's regional standing as a beacon of democracy, rule of law, and economic development empowers it to lead and serve as a positive example to other nations. Through its own example, Thailand can prove that caring for migrant workers benefits everybody involved— workers employers, and the national economy.

Reture Index Page

[1] [2] [3] [4] [5]

Post Comment >>