Last chance to register foreign labor

PHUKET: In its drive to register all Burmese, Laotians and Cambodians working in Phuket, the Provincial Employment Service Office (ESO) yesterday extended its deadline to register foreign laborers working in fishing-related industries to October 25. The ESO issued the new deadline after four employers told the office that they had, in total, 183 foreign laborers who could not be registered in time as they were working aboard boats at sea. The announcement was made in a press release issued by the ESO and the Provincial Labor and Social Welfare Office (PLSWO). The ESO has called in the PLSWO to help cope with the interviewing and registration of foreign workers. Up until October 13, the two departments had interviewed and registered 17,553 foreign laborers. They worked for 2,284 employers. There were 17,066 Burmese, 328 Laotians and 159 Cambodians. Through the registration drive, the government has, so far, netted 57,047,250 baht. In addition, the release states that the ESO has deferred its raids on workplaces, in which the PLSWO will also play a part, until after the October 25 deadline. After this date, businesses caught employing unregistered foreign laborers or using foreign laborers to do work that they were not registered to do, will face up to three years’ imprisonment or a fine of up to 60,000 baht, or both. Unregistered laborers caught working will face up to three months in jail or a fine of up to 5,000 baht, or both. If foreign laborers are caught doing work other than that for which they were registered, they face one month in jail or a fine of up to 2,000 baht, or both. If foreign laborers are found guilty of either violation, they will also be deported, the release says.