Seminar on business and human rights held in Phuket
Thai officials held a seminar in Phuket on Monday about the importance of human rights in business. The National Human Rights Commissioner of Thailand, Pitikan Sithidejheld, lead the seminar at the Royal Phuket City Hotel in the main city district. The event was titled “Seminar to Promote Business and Human Rights for Business Operations in Phuket Area.”
Phuket’s Vice Governor Anupap spoke at the seminar, saying that all sectors must help each other to build confidence among foreign tourists and investors. Commissioner Pitikan said…
“The objective is to create knowledge, an understanding, of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights, which is a responsible way for conducting business that respects human rights that are accepted at the international level.”
Pitikan said it was important for businesses to protect human rights by following non-discrimination policies, health and safety policies, and “freedom of association and formation of trade unions.”
Thailand struggles with workers’ rights. The country just raised its minimum wage for the first time in over two years. The 5% wage increase brought daily wages up to between 328 and 354 baht, depending on the province.
Long hours and low pay are not unheard of in Thailand, especially for vulnerable populations such as migrant workers. Thailand is notorious for its human trafficking problems, even though a Phuket government sub-committee said earlier this month that it had found no human trafficking cases on the island province.
Hopefully, events like the seminar in Phuket will be a step towards better human rights in the country’s business operations.
SOURCE: The Phuket News | Reuters
