Organization: Central Michigan University
Newsgroups: bit.listserv.seasia-l
Date:         Wed, 23 Dec 1992 20:34:30 EST
From:         Elliott Parker <3ZLUFUR@CMUVM.CSV.CMICH.EDU>
Subject:      TH: Labor leaders protest price rises

=======================  Forwarded  Message  ===========================
Date: Wed, 23 Dec 92 01:20:58+0700
From: Kamol Hengkietisak <kamol@ipied.tu.ac.th>


Note: Labour leaders are held in low esteem because they often act as
a political tool either by political parties or military. In the old
days before the military junta did away with State Enterprise labour
unions, they opened defied the govt power by threatening to cut off
water and electricity.
        They always claim that they are acting on behalf of low-income
wage earners by demanding very high minimum wage rate which often is ignored
by the private firms (a lot) but the govt has to pay more to those in the
state enterprises to conform with the law because the state enterprise base
their salary scales more or less on the rise of minimum wages. So in my
opinion, they are very selfish trying to get more by not working more,
especially the state union workers. Some of them start work at 9 am. and quit
job by 3 pm.
  -- kamol notes
ABOUT 100 workers yesterday rallied in front of the Commerce Ministry
to protest against the rising prices of commodities.

The protesters, led by Chin Tabplee, president of the National Labour
Congress, later submitted a letter addressed to Commerce Minister
Uthai Pimchaichon, demanding that tough measures be implemented to
control price rises and punish profiteers.

Mr Chin alleged that the Government, specially the Commerce Ministry,
had failed to control the rise in price of commodities which, he said,
has caused hardship to a lot of low income earners.

He claimed that prices of most commodities had recently increased by
an average of 5.6 per cent, with the prices of some items going up by
between 20-30 per cent.

"For instance, a bowl of noodles now costs 12 baht instead of 10
baht," said the NLC president.

He charged that traders had arbitrarily jacked up prices of their
commodities several times a year in accordance with the wage increases
of civil servants and state enterprise employees.

Mr Chin said that the price of a commodity had at least increased
three times per year in conjunction with the salary adjustment of
government and state enterprise workers in October, the pay rise of
private enterprises which normally begins in January and the minimum
wage increase in April.

He suggested that the salary and wage increases of the government and
private sectors should be done once a year simultaneously in order to
prevent traders from taking advantage of the event.

The labour leader complained that the Chuan Leekpai administration
had, so far, done nothing to arrest price rises.

He warned that if there was no action from the Government after New
Year he would call a mass protest at Sanam Luang.

Mrs Pongsri Yutthasarnprasit, deputy director-general of the Internal
Trade Department, who received the protesters' letter on behalf of the
Commerce Minister, claimed that the ministry already had measures to
deal with profiteers.

THE 10,000-million-baht mutual fund managers refuted Song
Watcharasriroj's claim that the fund is used mainly to support banking
stocks.

The meeting between Association Members of the Stock Exchange of
Thailand (AMSET) and the seven funds which run the 10,000-million-baht
mutual fund yesterday reached the following conclusions:

o Study various stocks to analyse their fundamentals for the purpose
of investment so as to assure balance in investment portfolio.

o The seven funds would invite all 40 brokers to participate in the
funds' activities. About 6-7 brokers may help look after a particular
fund.

o The funds' maturity would exceed one year but the exact maturity
date depends on market circumstances and the funds' dissolution should
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