The Human Rights Commission and the Labour Ministry yesterday have worked out joint measures to protect the rights and welfare of labourers heading to Sweden to work on plantations.
Sweden is seeking foreign labourers to work as farm hands in the coming harvest season from next month, and Thailand has been allotted 2,000 positions.
The Department of Employment said the Thai and Swedish authorities were jointly working to stop fraudulent jobplacement firms from cheating workers like they did last year.
Thai people can be allowed to work in Sweden if they are related to a Thai married to a Swede, (no more than three relatives allowed in this case); they are directly employed by a Swedish firm; or through deals with employment companies on both sides.
The channel most often used is the link between Swedish and Thai employment firms, because a minimum salary of Bt80,000 is guaranteed. The Human Rights Commission said it was concerned that an eight hour shift on farms for a monthly salary of Bt80,000 would not be realistic and would closely monitor the situation.
