Wage boost is far from a cure-all

LABOUR

Published: 25 Jan 2013 at 00.00
Newspaper section: News

From the Thaksin Shinawatra government to the one led by his sister, Yingluck, the 300-baht minimum wage policy is probably the populist policy that most responds to the way of life of people in the lower rungs of society, especially the rural poor.

A worker pulls a cart across a road near Klong Toey market. Being an informal worker means he might not benefit from the 300-baht minimum wage policy. PATIPAT JANTHONG

Why? Because the main income of the poor no longer comes from farming, but from daily wages in the informal sector. Other populist policies concerning agriculture therefore have little impact on these people's way of life that has now changed.

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pete
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Discussion 2 : 25 Jan 2013 at 11.452
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Does this include the approximately 3 million ‘workers’ in the sex industry who, in the main are from rural poor families and according to traditional customs the first duty of a girl is to support her family in any way she can. Because their education is limited and the sense of duty is powerful, they have no option other than enter the sex trade as the lack of education and skills training means in most cases that they are otherwise unemployable.
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oldairman
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Discussion 1 : 25 Jan 2013 at 06.371
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There is a good direction to go for the Democrat party to use as an election campaign. Organise the informal labour market and recognise them and you may even have a vote winner on your hands.
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Wage boost is far from a cure-all | Bangkok Post: opinion