Members of the tripartite national wage committee are expected to meet later this year to consider a proposal calling for the government to increase the daily minimum wage rate in response to the increase in living costs in the kingdom, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said on Thursday.
He was speaking during a press conference at Government House on measures to ease the impact of increasing oil prices stemming from the Ukraine-Russia conflict.
Mr Suchart's remarks followed the Thai Labour Solidarity Committee (TLSC) and State Enterprises Workers' Relations Confederation's (SERC) submission of a proposal on Jan 24 asking the government to raise the rate to 492 baht nationwide.
In the proposal, both groups said it was time for the government to increase the rate so people can cope with the recent spike in the cost of living and ease their economic hardship.
Set up under the Labour Protection Act 2008, the tripartite committee consists of employers, employees and the government.
The panel considers wage-hike requests based on the nation's cost of living index, inflation rate, standard of living, Gross Domestic Product and socioeconomic conditions in line with International Labour Organisation (ILO) principles.
Mr Suchart said the wage committee's office and provincial labour offices have been assigned to conduct a survey to assess people's expenses necessary for the panel to make its decision from April to June.
In July, a sub-committee will meet to consider the minimum wage rate before submitting an outcomes report to the national wage panel, he said.
The panel is expected to consider the proposal between August and September, he said.
Mr Suchart said that if a minimum wage rate is approved, the Ministry of Labour will propose it to the cabinet before an official announcement in the Royal Gazette.
