The Worker Alliance Group (WAG) has successfully negotiated compensation and visa extensions for approximately 200 Myanmar workers who were abruptly dismissed from a used electrical wire factory in Chachoengsao, Thailand. The workers were terminated without prior notice of the factory’s closure, leading to a successful negotiation that secured three months’ salary as compensation along with visa extension benefits. The factory had announced its closure on June 28th without giving any advance notice to the Myanmar workers.
After the workers sought assistance from WAG regarding their lost rights, the organization conducted multiple rounds of negotiations with factory owners. According to Thai labor law, workers with five years of service are entitled to five months’ salary, while those with one year of service should receive one month’s salary as compensation. However, since most workers had not completed five years of service, an agreement was reached to provide equal compensation to all workers, consisting of three months’ salary plus psychological damage compensation, totaling 36,000 baht per person.
Furthermore, although the factory had previously collected fees from workers for visa renewals without processing the extensions, additional negotiations by WAG resulted in an agreement whereby the factory would take responsibility for maintaining workers’ visa status until their current visa period expires. This successful negotiation has provided workers with the opportunity to continue their legal stay in Thailand. This victory in protecting workers’ rights has become an important milestone for migrant workers, demonstrating the effectiveness of collective bargaining and proper representation in securing fair treatment and compensation in cases of unexpected termination.
