Labor law

Lao authorities expect to begin a new round of verifying nationality and legalising the status of thousands of Lao workers in Thailand in the coming months, Minister of Labour and Social Welfare said last week. Dr Khampheng Saysompheng told local media during his attendance to ...

The Ministry of Labour met with unions on December 16 to gather input on a universal minimum wage law currently being drafted, union representatives and ministry officials confirmed on December 18. “The meeting is a forum for each party to review the draft and provide comments ...

A New report on the state of the garment industry from Progressive Voice found that last year’s minimum wage law is causing negative workplace impacts for a majority of labourers and, for many, is still not resulting in a living wage.​​ The report, released on ...

Union officials have applauded the Ministry of Labor which is preparing to ratify some International Labor Organization’s conventions, including two that unions, factory workers and domestic workers have long demanded. The Labor Ministry said on November 30 that to promote and protect the rights, benefits and ...

An International Labour Organization official on Sunday urged local unions to present their views on the contentious Trade Union Law to the body’s Committee of Experts, a request that has so far found little traction. The ILO’s Committee of Experts will meet in Geneva, Switzerland, ...

More than 2000 factory workers staged a protest this weekend in Yangon’s Hlaing Tharyar township, demanding that the government increase the daily minimum wage in light of rising costs of living and inflation. “Unless something is done to stop increases to living expenses, soon workers ...

Labour Ministry spokesman Heng Sour in a radio interview on on November 8 refuted criticism that the controversial Trade Union Law burdened unions with cumbersome regulations, claiming the law was merely a continuation of existing policies. On November 8, unions and rights group met to review ...

Despite being in the works since 2012, there is no end in sight for enactment of the Occupational Safety and Health Law, which has not yet reached the floor of the hluttaw for a vote. Since it was drafted, the law has been discussed among ...

A forced labour case involving 14 Myanmar workers and a giant poultry exporter in Thailand’s Lopburi province went unresolved in court on October 31. Unsatisfied with the 1.7 million Thai baht in compensation awarded by the Lopburi Labour Protection and Welfare Office against the poultry farm ...

The Labour Ministry said last week it was drafting a minimum wage law that would expand beyond the garment industry and cover all workers, a proposal that drew cautious praise from union leaders and advocates, along with a healthy dose of scepticism. The proposed law, revealed ...