Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi (Photo: AFP)Bangkok (VNA/NNT) – The Labour Ministries of Thailand and Myanmar are set to sign two Memorandums of Understanding on labour and employment cooperation on June 24 on the occasion of Myanmar State Counsellor Aung San Suu Kyi’s official visit to Thailand.
Permanent-Secretary of the Thai Ministry of Labour (MOL) Puntrik Smiti has revealed the first memorandum will cover government to government cooperation on academic issues, the mutual development of labourer’s skills, and the exchange of officials.
The second one will cover employment agreements which mandate that Thai employers will be able to employ workers from Myanmar with a working permit of two to four years.
According to the new agreements, workers from Myanmar must return and remain in Myanmar for no less than 30 days before resuming their employment in Thailand.
The memorandum will also cover the labour import process, training on working conditions and labour rights prior to their employment in Thailand, and establish protocols to solve labour-related conflicts.
The Thai official also elaborated that the two MOUs will enhance efficiency in labour management for Myanmar workers and further solve existing problems.
All fees incurred from the employment process will be covered by employers in order to prevent forced labour, slavery, and human trafficking, he said, adding that the MoUs will provide greater protection to Myanmar workers against unfair hiring terms, while the Thai government will be making sure that the fees are at an appropriate rate.
Thailand currently legally hires more than 1.45 million workers from Myanmar. Its Ministry of Labour is encouraging the employment of Myanmar workers in the country through the cooperation of the two governments.-VNA
