Dear friends,

Below is the article I like to share to the lists about the journal of TLC
"Labour Focus". The Nation Newspaper has writing about the article I wrote
for the Labour Focus for March 2005. It is a 12 page journel and it is in
Thai language.

Hope you find this is interesting.

In solidarity,

Lek....


‘Nationalism’ trumps unions


Pravit Rojanaphruk
12 May 05
The Nation

A labour journal article has outlined the main issues preventing Thai
workers from forming labour unions, chief among them that nation’s image
supersedes their needs for better working conditions.


Labour Focus, a quarterly labour journal published by the non-governmental
organisation Campaign for Thai Labour Programme, also cited other factors
such as rhetoric that factories are extended families and that “Thai-ness”
is being held up as an antithesis to collective bargaining. The article is
the result of a survey of union leaders and workers over recent years.


Other perceived obstacles are threats of factory relocation abroad,
especially to countries with cheaper labour like Vietnam, China and
Indonesia, the slow and costly process of labour court hearings, and
claims by employees that they already have adequate ethical standards.


The findings, compiled by labour activist and editor of the journal, Janya
Yimprasert, state that employers often advise their workers – with
considerable success – to think about the nation’s image before organising
or staging a strike for better working conditions.


“Employers also use the word ‘family’ when abuse of workers’ rights takes
place, or when they want to persuade employees against fighting for their
rights under the law,” the journal says.


Another grey area is reference to “Thai-ness” as being essentially
incompatible with collective bargaining through unionism and strikes, the
journal states, and argues: “When trading is already borderless, labour
rights deserve to be recognised through universal standards as well.
Employers willingly compete in world markets by insisting on ‘Asian
values’ to suppress their workforce.”


Another rhetorical issue that gains widespread acceptance in a country
where only 3 per cent of the workforce is unionised is that fighting for
labour rights may lead to factory relocation, the journal says.


“Some members of Parliament, even some members of the National Human
Rights Commission and union leaders themselves, still believe that when
Thai workers demand their legal rights, employers will simply shift their
production to China or Vietnam. Thus they reason that workers should just
‘cope with whatever work conditions exist’.”


With low minimum wages of Bt135 to Bt175 a day, the journal argues that
many Thai workers end up having to work overtime for an average of three
to 10 hours a day just to make ends meet.


This, it states, runs contrary to the ideal of eight hours of work, eight
hours of recreation and eight hours of sleep enjoyed by many workers in
the West,” the journal noted.





Thai Labour Campaign
P.O.Box 219
Ladprao Post Office
Bangkok 10310 THAILABOUR