Cabinet to consider bills protecting maritime, home-based workers

Ministry of Labour will propose four draft labour-related bills to the Cabinet aimed at providing greater protection for maritime workers and freelancers who accept assignments to work from home, as well as ensuring equal rights for spouses of state enterprise workers.

Labour Permanent Secretary Pol Lt-Col Wannapong Kotcharak said today that, under one of the draft bills, merchant seamen will be incorporated into the social security system and be entitled to the rights stipulated by law.

For those who accept assignments to work from home, he said the bill would apply internationally accepted standards to this type of employment, including setting the minimum age of workers at 15, ensuring that the work does not pose a health hazard and requiring fair remuneration.

The bill would also seek to protect workers against exploitation by their employers, he said.

Regarding spouses of state enterprise workers, Wannapong said the draft bill aims to treat them similarly to spouses covered by the equal marriage law. This would mean that spouses of state enterprise workers, regardless of gender, would be entitled to compensation in cases of sickness or death.