One Stop Service recognized as a center for distress, with the hotline 1964 solving issues experienced by foreigners.

            Labour Minister General Surasak Karnjanarat presided over the meeting to consider directions in managing foreign labour and human trafficking issues. After the meeting, he revealed that the meeting discussed progressions within the previous round for citizenship verification and the registration of One Stop Service which had been internationally recognized. The registration for foreign labourers of the 3 nationalities allowed foreign labourers to receive rights according to law and assisted in resolving human trafficking. The center and 1694 hotline for distress had assisted foreign worker problems from the past July to December which had over 70,000 calls to the hotline. As for the inspection for workers in fisheries and child labour, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare had always showed progression. In the past, there have been 7 cases. As for inspection in engineering and technical businesses of the past December, it was found that there were over a thousand companies using child labour, totally 4014 children. However it was not illegal and the children were working in accordance to previous laws. Today, there has been amendments to the Ministry’s laws for welfare and protection of agricultural workers whereby workers must be at least 15 years of age. The laws for welfare and protection for fishery workers require that workers must be 18 years of age as announced by the government which is already in effect.

As for the citizenship verification, presently the procedures for Cambodian labourers has progressed considerably. Inspection for Laotian workers by the committee will commence, but whether the commencement will be ready for the 31st of March 2015, the Laos officials will try their hardest. For the registration of Vietnamese workers in Thailand, there will be Vietnamese workers with expired passports working in the country. Therefore it will be an opportunity for them to work, which is the same for Cambodian, Laos and Myanmar citizens for labour and house work, however the conditions will differ. Today the meeting talked about criteria of Vietnamese worker registration where January will be the waiting period for permission to be granted by the council. In February there will be the public announcement to employers to lead Vietnamese employees through the registration process, whereby the registration process will commence in March, however resolutions must be gained from the council first. As for collaboration in importing workers legally for good business, good fisheries and good construction, if there is a shortage in workers then employers can hire foreign labourers, but the skills must be of standard that the country needs, whereby being within the criterion which must be clearly outlined by the MOU with foreign countries on importing foreign labourers.

For the release of groups to suppress, arrest and proceed cases for foreign labourers and employers from businesses, the Ministry of Labour’s Permanent Secretary Mr. Nakorn Silpaarcha is the president of the committee monitoring solutions to foreign labour problems within Bangkok which will mobilize checkpoints within the area using 3 rules permitted by the cabinet’s resolution on the 28th of October 2014. The resolution was for the verification procedures to be in accordance to the present. If government officials are found in breach, there will be a heavy penalty and if organizations are found participating in illegal activity, business operations will be halted temporarily. As for the 76 provinces, provincial governors will proceed with inspections using the same criteria and rules. For provinces with high numbers of foreign labourers, the Director-General of the Department of Employment would lead the group to the area for further inspection with the provincial governor. In January, the group will disperse in Bangkok, Pathum Thani, Nonthaburi, Samut Prakan and Ayutthay, as well as provinces nearby the sea for fishery inspection. The Director-General of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare would lead special groups from the Ministry to inspect fisheries, especially in Samut Sakhon, Songkhla, Pattani, Chumphon and Chon Buri provinces. Furthermore, this year laws will be strictly enforced. Once protection laws for workers in fisheries have been enforced, tight inspections will be carried out to ensure proper employment contracts by law.