Wino Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Happy New Year! I hear starting January 1, Thai workers will receive an increase in the official minimum wage. The wage is suppose to increase by one to eight baht depending on the area. Hope workers do not spend the big money increase all in one place. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 I guess I shouldn't complain of no increase in my Social Security Pension. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rucus7 Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 That is one to eight Baht per day,I think. Not per hour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 29, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Yes, you are right. I think that is per day. The Ayutthaya area is lucky with an increase of 8 baht. The minimum daily wage will be raised from 173 baht to 181 baht. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 It's obscene to me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted December 29, 2009 Report Share Posted December 29, 2009 Not ure if poor Thaias are worse off than poor Americans. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Since there is no welfare system in Thailand, I feel sure the poor are far worse off than in the US. Even the panhandlers in Thailand don't get to keep what they collect. The Mafia takes most of it. I remember seeing on TV in SF a panhandler being interviewed and he said he collected $130.00/day on average. This was in 1990. That was about 3 times the minimum wage at the time. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted December 30, 2009 Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Seems tp me the poor people in Issan are happier than those on welfare in America even if they're not better off. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted December 30, 2009 Author Report Share Posted December 30, 2009 Many of the poor in the US have subsidized housing, A/C, TV (sometimes cable), phone (often cell phone), food stamps in which some sell for cigarette or drug money. In my opinion, there is no comparison between the poor in the USA and the poor in SE Asian countries. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rucus7 Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Does anyone know what percentage of the populous that actually makes the minimum wage in Thailand? I think it may be significant. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Bob Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Does anyone know what percentage of the populous that actually makes the minimum wage in Thailand? I think it may be significant. Nope, I don't. But I'd bet that whatever percentage it is, there's a larger percentage (unemployed, elderly, and farmers) who actually make less than that. A small percentage of the Thais get the largest slice of the pie (I recently read an article in a Thai newspaper which dealt with the gap between the rich and the poor in Thailand - and that the gap has steadily grown even wider over the last decade). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 That is one to eight Baht per day,I think. Not per hour. Here in Thailand they don't talk about per hour rates, it's always per day rates. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 It's obscene to me. You have to think about it in context with the local economy and not to try and relate to a westernised economy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Since there is no welfare system in Thailand, I feel sure the poor are far worse off than in the US. Even the panhandlers in Thailand don't get to keep what they collect. The Mafia takes most of it. I remember seeing on TV in SF a panhandler being interviewed and he said he collected $130.00/day on average. This was in 1990. That was about 3 times the minimum wage at the time. Actually this is welfare/social security system in Thailand and there is a subsidised health system. These were introduced a few years ago by then PM Thaksin. Costs 30 baht (less than 1 US$) to have treatment at any government hospital, including the medicine. Even delivering a baby is 30 baht. Mind you the wait and quality of treatment at many government hospitals leaves a lot to be desired. Many Thais prefer to pay (if they can afford it) for private hospital treatment. Employees of a proper company have 5% deducted from their pay, the employer pays in 5%, and the government contribute 5% (might be more now, think I heard 7%), which goes into a fund to cover unemployment benefit, sickness pay, and a retirement pension. This does not apply to people working self employed or in small or family businesses, which is a big percentage of the working population. And don't forget that the vast majority of Thais pay zero income tax. The tax allowance is 12,000 baht/month and most Thais don't even make that much. Many many don't even make the government minimum amount. That only applies to employees of registered companies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lvdkeyes Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 The welfare system I was referring to is one where poor people get some money from the government and or/ food. I realize we can't compare Thai with western standards, but even so, 181 baht a day doesn't buy much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 181 baht a day doesn't buy much. Supports a Thai family Ok even on Phuket Island. NE Thailand don't even earn near that much. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Beer Chang Posted December 31, 2009 Report Share Posted December 31, 2009 Costs 30 baht (less than 1 US$) to have treatment at any government hospital, including the medicine. Is Banglamung a public hospital? Can a Thai who officially lives somewhere in Issan use a hospital in Chonburi province? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted January 1, 2010 Report Share Posted January 1, 2010 Is Banglamung a public hospital? Can a Thai who officially lives somewhere in Issan use a hospital in Chonburi province? No idea about Banglamung hospital. When the 30 baht scheme first started users could only use hospitals in their registered province. I believe (not so sure) that this condition was eased later on to allow Thais working or visiting another area to be able to get the 30 baht service in other provinces by providing letter or similar from a registered resident in that province eg the owner of the home/lodgings where staying. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have not heard much of the 30 baht plan recently. I wonder if it is still available? I hope so. Here is an article about the plan, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2040138/ According to the article, it was introduced in 2001 and passed into law November of 2002. Anyone know if this plan is still funded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted January 7, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I have not heard much of the 30 baht plan recently. I wonder if it is still available? I hope so. Here is an article about the plan, http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC2040138/ According to the article, it was introduced in 2001 and passed into law November of 2002. Anyone know if this plan is still funded? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted January 7, 2010 Report Share Posted January 7, 2010 I believe that the 30 baht scheme is still available (only for Thai Nationals). Whether it was ever properly funded, that is debatable. This was a promise made by central government (I believe to honour an election promise by then PM Thaksin) but from everything I hear very little funding was made to the hospitals, resulting in understaffing, and no pharmacy supplies available in the hospitals. Here in Patong the government hospital is a joke. The old small hospital was replace by a big new modern hospital about 7 years ago and the initial reports from tourists using that facility were quite good. However in the last 2 or 3 years the hospital has become very very run down, dirty, poorly maintained, no doctors on duty, I believe that all the doctors resigned (from a local news report I read). These days all Patong hospital can do it basic first aid, and then ship patients out to either the government hospital in Phuket Town (Vishara), nd the tourists that can pay are transfered to the private hospitals in Phuket Town (Bangkok Phuket & Phuket International). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Wino Posted January 22, 2010 Author Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Seems health care for the poor is generally a joke. At least the 30 baht scheme is better than nothing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
patong Posted January 22, 2010 Report Share Posted January 22, 2010 Seems health care for the poor is generally a joke. At least the 30 baht scheme is better than nothing. Yes I agree that any sort of scheme is better than nothing. However it is very telling that many many Thais prefer to struggle with the fees for private treatment. I've had a life time of (free) National Health service in the UK, and as soon as I could afford it I paid for private health insurance policy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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