Migrant workers to be granted 2-year work permit and health insurance

13 Comments

1. 

   Frank Leboeuf

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 11:00 am

   Great news!
   Thai government will have more control over the foreign worker population, and workers will have access to more security as officially registered workers with a work permit and health insurance.

   Way to go Thailand – this really made my day!

   Reply
   • 

     Issan John

     Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 2:29 pm

     Agreed, Frank, great news.

     The September / November 2021 dates, taken from the Nation, don’t seem to make any sense as registration is very clearly widely reported (including here and by the Nation) as January / February.

     Reply
2. 

   Keith

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 12:21 pm

   Yes reward the illegal immigrants, while anyone else entering illegally or overstaying their visa are fined and deported, but then those people don’t help make the 1% who own most of Thailand any richer, the HI SO rich people run Thailand not the government, when they say jump Prayut the puppet asks “how high”

   Reply
   • 

     Robert Elliot

     Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 10:07 pm

     Yes. There are 2 ways to look at this. Who is really benefitting the most. The wealthy Thais securing very cheap labour or the migrant labourers.

     Reply
     • 

       John Landy

       Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 5:52 pm

       In this case clearly the migrant labourers, since the wealthy securing cheap labour would have done so anyway.
       Migrant labourers are gaining legal status, a work permit and health coverage.
       The Thai government is gaining more control over these migrant population as well, which is what governments always strive for.

       Reply
     • 

       Issan John

       Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 6:38 pm

       Both.

       Reply
3. 

   Just A Thought

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 1:22 pm

   I would expect these workers to not be particularly highly paid.
   For foreigners to live here for a year they are expected to have 800,000 baht income (yes I know their are other amounts but this will do to illustrate my point). All of which will, most likely, be spent into the economy with a VAT rate of 7% thereby contributing approx. 56,000 baht directly into government confers with the rest making up a considerable contribution into the general economy. As the foreigners individually contribute a lot more than these workers (who are working to take money out of the country) maybe the government should consider some form of health insurance incentive to promote a recovery in the “tourist” sector and ultimately in the economy.

   Reply
4. 

   Toby Andrews

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 2:31 pm

   B7500 cost.
   Trust the Thais to dream up another money making racket.
   It’s a work tax!

   Reply
5. 

   Ian

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 5:40 pm

   Is this the way in become a migrant worker get a 2 year visa and free health care yippee here we come lol

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6. 

   Mr cynic

   Wednesday, December 30, 2020 at 11:05 pm

   Why can insurance cover in this sort of price range not be offered to tourists scaled down to reflect the relatively short period of time they are in the country?
   500 bht max sounds a very generous premium price to me.

   Reply
7. 

   indis77

   Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 12:44 pm

   Why would Thailand need foreign workers with the economy as bad as it is? Surely there are tons of unemployed Thais to take these jobs?

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   • 

     Issan John

     Thursday, December 31, 2020 at 6:41 pm

     Despite the absurd claims of over 6 million unemployed out of a workforce of 38 million, all too obviously, ‘NO’, there aren’t!

     Reply
8. 

   TS

   Monday, January 4, 2021 at 11:34 am

   That type of work is considered beneath the average Thai. Same same as migrant farm workers in the U.S.

   Reply