Improving the Minimum Standards of Employment Conditions under State Enterprise Labour Relations Act : A Case study of Initial Wage Rates

Abstract

The objective of the research aims to find the problems of inequality regarding the initial wage rates of state enterprise employees in comparison with other types of state personnel, in order to utilize the research findings to propose guidelines for resolving the issues surrounding initial wage rates for state enterprise employees. This study employed a qualitative research methodology in the form of documentary research, conducted through the collection, investigation, and synthesis of Thai legal documents.

  The research findings revealed that state enterprise employees were the first category of state personnel established in Thailand; however, it was found that employees in several state enterprises still received initial wage rates that were lower than the starting salary rates of ordinary civil servants and the initial wage rates of other types of state personnel established later, such as university staff, government employees, and public organization officials. The research suggests that the study results should be applied as guidelines for amending the State Enterprise Labor Relations Committee Announcement Re: Minimum Standards of Employment Conditions in State Enterprises (No. …) by utilizing the entry-level salary rates of ordinary civil servants as the base for determining the initial wage rates of state enterprise employees. It is proposed that core-line state enterprise employees be remunerated at the entry-level salary rate of ordinary civil servants plus an additional increment of no less than 30 percent of the entry rate. For general-line state enterprise employees, the rate should be the base rate plus an additional increment of no less than 20 percent. Furthermore, the determination of such wages must take into account the entry-level wage rates of other types of state personnel with similar job descriptions and the financial standing of each respective state enterprise.