Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Thu, 3 Sep 1992 05:48:53 EDT
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: Labour leaders petition PM
X-To:         seasia-l@msu.edu

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Thu, 3 Sep 92 00:23:43+0700
From: kamol@munnari.oz.au (Kamol Hengkietisak)

THE State Enterprises Relations Confederation (SERC) yesterday
appealed to the Government to review its policy on a wide range of
issues, including recent increases in public utility service
rates.
     The demands were contained in an open letter, addressed to
Prime Minister Anand Panyarachun, which was submitted at
Government House where the Premier and labour leaders met for two
hours yesterday.
     The labour leaders made no threat on any retaliation action
if their demands were not met.
     Observers said the state enterprise labour sector's influence
had vastly diminished after their right to strike was abolished
following last year's coup.
     A total of 378 labour leaders, academics and labour experts
as well as employers' representatives were invited to Government
House to listen to the Government's election policy.
     In the letter, the SERC asked for increases in electricity
rates (which came into effect this month) and bus fares to be
reconsidered.
     The Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand is still
running a profitable operation, and increasing the electricity
rate will go against the Government's policy of setting up an
agency to service the people and not to make profits.
     The Bangkok Mass Transit Authority had indirectly increased
the bus fare by repainting its old buses so that the higher fare
can be charged to passengers. Therefore it is inappropriate for
the agency to increase the fare yet again to try to reduce its
operational loss.
     The BMTA charged two baht on its old blue/white buses and
three baht on the new red/cream buses. Many claimed the agency
repainted the blue/white buses with red/cream colours so that it
could charge commuters the rate used for the real red/cream buses.
     Since September 1, the fare on the two types of buses has
gone up across the board by .50 baht. In its letter the SERC
demanded that the increase be scrapped.
     The state enterprises' workers grouping also demanded that
the Government give the country's youth equal opportunities in
compulsory primary education through a state-subsidised lunch
programme, clothing and writing equipment.
     The SERC criticised the Government for giving preferential
treatment to only the business group.
     The Government's decision to scrap the oil fund was one
example which was beneficial to merchants at the cost of
individual oil consumers, who have to shoulder an extra financial
burden whenever world oil prices rise.
     The Government should instead initiate a policy of allowing
farmers to buy oil at low prices, because they are a low income
group.
     The Government's decision to withdraw state enterprise
workers from the Social Security fund has also jeopardised the
fund's potential as the country's savings source, which can be
withdrawn for economic development and to help those worse off
socially and financially.
     The SERC also branded as a lie the Government's claim during
an international labour meeting in Bangkok last year that Thai
state workers were entitled to the right to form a federation and
to take part in international labour activities.
     It claimed the Interior Ministry had issued a "secret order"
banning state enterprise employees from being members of labour
unions, both inside and outside the country, contradicting the
international human rights principle.
     The Government, the SERC charged, also paid little attention
to the safety of the life and property of its people. It cited the
case of former Labour Congress of Thailand leader Thanong Po-an,
who went missing in June last year following the February 23 coup.
     The Government had only set up a committee to follow up the
case in the middle of last month, it continued.
     The case has given ammunition to the United States to cut the
trade privileges it is granting to Thailand through the
Generalised System of Preferences.
     Prime Minister Anand, in his speech to the workers, insisted
that he and his government has tried to help solve the labourers'
problem with sincerity and responsibility.
     As a government, Mr Anand said that he had to look at the
interests of all parties concerned, and he cannot get everyone to
agree with all the issues the Government did.
     He said all parties must cooperate to help solve problems
with sincerity and without any prejudice against one another.
     "The weak point of the labour movement in the past was that
it became a political tool for one party or another to pursue its
own interests. I want to see the labour movement as a legitimate
body and standard," the Premier said.
     He admitted, however, that the workers' voice must also be
heard.
     "We have to admit that in the past many businessmen and
industrialists also exploited the workers to reap more profits,
without any sense of responsibility for society. These kinds of
people still exist. They still manage to manipulate the system
which the Government set up, so as to exploit child and female
labour in their own interest," Mr Anand said.
     During his meeting with the group the Prime Minister also
urged that the labourers vote good people into Parliament.
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