Thailand proposes four labor law amendments

Deputy Prime Minister Yotsanan Wongsawat has announced the submission of four labor law amendments to the Thai Cabinet. These legislative changes aim to expand protections for specific worker groups and align state enterprise benefits with marriage equality laws.

The proposed reforms include:

• The Maritime Labour Act: Designed to provide seafarers on transport vessels with social security and compensation fund protections equivalent to land-based workers.

• The Home-Based Worker Protection Act: Aimed at meeting international standards by ensuring fair compensation, setting a minimum working age of 15, and requiring employers to pay interest and penalties for late payments.

• State Enterprise Labor Relations Amendments: Two announcements to update regulations in line with marriage equality laws. By replacing the terms ‘husband and wife’ with ‘spouse,’ the amendments ensure that all spouses of state enterprise employees receive equal rights to medical benefits, compensation, and funeral expenses, regardless of gender. These changes are intended to be retroactive to the date the marriage equality law took effect.