Migrant worker deadline ‘won’t change’

The two-week period during which employers nationwide can apply to properly register migrant workers in line with a newly issued decree is reasonable and will not be extended, the Labour Ministry said yesterday.

According to regulations issued following the enactment of the executive decree to regulate the employment of migrant workers, employers who have unregistered foreign labourers can start the ball rolling on rectifying this from July 24 to Aug 7, the ministry said. Some business operators have raised concern that 14 days is too short given the scale of the problem.

But Ananchai Uthaipattanachep, general-inspector of the ministry, said employers can submit an application to start the process at designated centres and be done within 15 minutes. The form can be downloaded from the Department of Employment’s website.

Employers are not required to bring the staff in question with them and no fees will be applied, he said.

They must attach their juristic person registration certificates and identification cards to the form, as well as two photos of each of the foreign workers, Mr Ananchai said. Proxies can lodge the document on their behalf if they are too busy, he added.

Any foreign workers with documents confirming their nationality, such as passports or ID cards, must bring a copy and attach this to the form, he said.

Ten large centres will be set up in Bangkok with many more in the provinces depending on the number of migrant workers in each locality, he said.

After Aug 7, the authorities will confirm whether the workers were employed as claimed and then send a so-called “Letter of Demand” to their employer, who may be summoned for an interview on a discretionary basis, Mr Ananchai said.

After the employers receive this letter they must take the workers to have their nationality verified.

Meanwhile, private firms have praised the military government’s decision to invoke the all-powerful Section 44 to grant a six-month reprieve for those who breach the new law.

“The private sector is waiting to see what the results of this might be after 180 days,” said Chen Namchaisiri, chairman of the Federation of Thai Industries.

He said the private sector wants the government to take action quickly to skirt labour shortages and make sure the workers can be properly registered in time.

The government should work with neighboring countries, especially Myanmar, to resolve the problem of illegal labour, he added.