A month after a fatal earthquake sparked the collapse of a high -rise construction site in Bangkok, labor rights groups say that the disaster has exposed long -standing defects in the construction sector in Thailand – in particular its inability to protect migrant workers who keep it on the way.
On the day of the earthquake, more than 100 workers were inside an unfinished tower of 32 floors when tremors of a 7.7 magnification earthquake in the neighboring Myanmar rocked the Thai capital, making the building collapse. Many of those trapped were migrant workers from Myanmar, attracted by Thailand by economic difficulties and political upheavals.
Myanmar migrant workers dominate the so -called 3D jobs of Thailand – dirty, dangerous and degrading – with estimates suggesting at least four million now live in the country. Many fled their homeland after the military coup of 2021, seeking security and opportunities through the border.
The construction industry of Thailand is based strongly on this workforce. In 2023, around 600,000 foreign nationals were employed in the sector, according to the International Labor Organization.
However, it remains one of the most dangerous industries in the country. A study in 2022 of the workers' compensation fund revealed that more than 4,500 workers had been killed or injured in construction accidents in only 2021 – more than 40% of them in Bangkok.
The recent collapse has rekindled concerns about security, which arouses a general fear among migrant workers.
“”[Migrant workers] I no longer want to work in construction, ”said Koreeyor Manuchae, project coordinator to the Migrant Working Group, a plea organization supporting the survivors.
“They are afraid of it, but they have no choice.”
Despite their fears, many survivors are unable to leave their jobs. According to the bilateral memorandum of understanding Thailand, Myanmar migrants are linked to their original employers and face important restrictions if they try to change jobs.
Critics argue that such a system does not only take much time, but can also financially hang job seekers, as they often need to go through brokers to find a job, leaving many choices in their placement.
No salary, no compensation
Even as many migrant workers remain in their work out of necessity, the structural problems that have left them vulnerable in the first place continue to persist.
The migrant working group noted that despite legal requirements for documented workers to be entered in a social security fund which provides health care and accident compensation, many employers do not record them – leaving unprotected workers during the disaster.
According to the group, only 59 59 of 900 migrant workers in its construction, a subcontracted company to work on the high rise in Bangkok, were registered with the Social Security Bureau.
A study of the United Nations development program published in 2023 revealed that around 38% of myanmar migrant workers questioned in the construction industry in Thailand were undocumented, and 40% of undocumented construction workers said they had not received any advantage, such as sick leave or even one day of leave per week.
Htoo Chit, Executive Director of the Foundation for Education and Development, a defense group for defenders, said that many new construction workers arriving in Thailand are forced to work for subcontractors for a year or two in the name of “acquiring experience”, but these organizations are also excessive work violations.
“”[Subcontractors] Always say: “We will pay when it is finished. Migrants are waiting, but when the construction is over, the subcontractor manipulates them, “he said.
Employers often claim that there is no other obligation to compensate for workers since the end of the project, he explained.
He added that these practices are common in the construction sector, in particular the generalized reduction in wages for workers employed under subcontractors.
Likewise, some workers could not receive a salary in the aftermath of the collapse, said Manuchae of the migrant working group.
Under article 75 of the Thai Labor Protection Act, employers are authorized to suspend operations without paying wages during unforeseen events which stop commercial activity – leaving the collapse of victims without income until April 17.
In the following weeks, the Thailand Ministry of Labor did not publish any public declaration describing how it would respond to the concerns of affected migrant workers.
The permanent secretary of the ministry, Boonsong Thapchaiyuth, announced that families of workers killed in the collapse would receive between one and two million baht (30,175 to 60,350 US) in compensation. However, this was not the case for all the victims.
According to Zaw, an employee of the Samut Sakhon Labor Rights Foundation, who supports the migrant workers in Myanmar in Thailand, four workers injured in its construction have not yet received compensation from the Thai government.
He added that families of 11 workers who died in the collapse have also not received support, because their bodies have not yet been recovered.
“We had discussions with the authorities, but they have not progressed,” said Zaw.
“The Ministry of Labor also had different information on workers,” he said.
The Ministry of Labor did not respond to the request for comments from Radio Free Asia.
Published by Tajun Kang and Mike Firn.
Pimuk Rakkanam in Bangkok contributed to this report.