1.3 million Thai workers to appeal for state assistance

BANGKOK, December 10 (TNA) - Around 1.3 million people from the Thai labour workforce affected by this year’s flood disaster are estimated to require state assistance. Chalee Loysoong, chairman of the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee, said statistics released by the Labour Protection and Welfare Department on Thursday showed that around 993,944 workers from 13 provinces nationwide were affected by floods. Chalee also cited the report as saying that around 11,862 employees of 45 flood affected firms had lost their jobs. However, he said he believed the number of workers affected could be as high as 1.3 million, and so he planned to appeal for needed government aid by early next year the latest. Chalee further said employers should pay at least 75 percent out of the total salary to their employees while the floods still devastated the country. He said the government must also contribute another 2,000 baht to each worker for three months as well as soft loans, besides helping workers outside the system and foreigners. (TNA)