US Pushing Thailand to Allow Foreign Workers to Unionize
The United States is calling on the Thai government to allow foreign workers to set up labor unions, stating that the move is to to protect the rights of migrants in Thailand.
Under existing Thailand labor laws, foreign workers are barred from unionizing, which goes against international labor practices.
Lewis Karesh, the assistant US trade representative (USTR) for labor, also urged Thai officials to amend labor law in the Southeast Asian country to protect migrants who are seeking to unionize in the event that their employers try to get retribution.
Boonyarit Kalayanamit, director-general of the Commerce Ministry’s Internal Trade Department, said that if Thailand doesn’t amend labor laws to satisfy American demands, then trade between the two countries could be severely hampered.
On top of efforts to amend existing labor laws to allow migrant worker unions, the US is also pushing the Thai government to lessen the restriction on American pork imports into the country.
Ultimately, the decisions will come down to the Thai Labor Ministry.
Recently, Thailand’s many migrant workers have faced an increased crackdown from authorities that have seen many threatened with deportation back to their home country and other roadblocks.
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