On 28-29 March 2022, the International Organization for Migration (IOM), in collaboration with the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare (DLPW) of the Ministry of Labour, organized a Capacity Building Workshop for Labour Inspectors on Protection for Vulnerable Groups (Migrant Workers, Women and Children).

Labour inspectorate plays a key role in the protection of workers, including migrants, by taking measures against abusive and fraudulent employment practices according to Thai laws, international standards and human rights principles. Labour inspectors who are at the forefront to protect workers’ rights must be prepared for new challenges, especially during the COVID-19 pandemic.

Attended by 54 labour inspectors from 34 provinces in Thailand, the workshop focused on the role of labour inspectors in the Shared Responsibility Framework and how labour inspectorate can collaborate more closely with other key labour migration actors, particularly labour attachés, to enhance migrant workers’ protection and facilitate their access to grievance mechanisms.

In his opening remarks, Mr Niyom Songkaew, the Director General from DLPW emphasized the need for more effective legal enforcement of labour inspectors during the COVID-19 pandemic to protect migrant workers and respond to issues including unstable employment, layoff, late payment or withholding of payment, and other more complex of labour abuses and exploitations. “In the end, workers would benefit from good working and living conditions leading to more productivity and confidence in Thailand’s economy and public integrity,” the Director General added.

The Shared Responsibility Framework has been co-developed by the Asian Research Center for Migration, Chulalongkorn University and IOM through a multi-stakeholder consultative process and endorsed by the Public-Private Steering Committee on Migrant Employment (PPSC). It is a policy dialogue platform between the public and private sectors on ethical recruitment, decent work and skills development for migrant workers, facilitated by IOM in which agencies under the Ministry of Labour are members alongside other relevant government agencies.

The Shared Responsibility Framework is designed to support the key stakeholders in the labour migration process who play decisive roles in enhancing migrant workers’ protection and in maximizing the positive development impact of migration, taking into account the legal framework in Thailand and the international standards on ethical recruitment, rights and protection of migrant workers.

This initiative is part of the IOM PROMISE programme, funded by the Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation (SDC). For more information, please visit https://thailand.iom.int/promise-programme.