A member of the tripartite wage committee on Wednesday slammed the government for announcing a plan to hike the daily minimum wage to 400 baht nationwide in October, saying the matter has yet to be considered.
Atthayuth Leeyavanich, a wage committee member who represents employers, said a new wage hike had not been reviewed by the committee, and it was inappropriate for political office-holders to discuss it publicly.
He said he had no idea where the call for the wage hike originated. At the April 14 meeting, the committee agreed to conduct a study on a profession-based adjustment, he said.
When the prospect of a 400-baht minimum daily wage was announced by Labour Minister Pipat Ratchakitprakarn on May 1 -- International Labour Day -- Mr Atthayuth said the labour minister must have been given inaccurate information.
The latest wage hike, which applied to tourism-related businesses and four-star hotels in some areas in 10 provinces, was studied thoroughly before it was approved, said Mr Atthayuth.
"As for the profession-based adjustment, we need a study first and the committee will meet on May 14 to discuss the scope of the study and how long it will take," he said.
According to Mr Atthayuth, the daily minimum wage adjustment is governed by Section 87 of the Labour Protection Act and if the new rate is in accordance with the law, the committee is prepared to endorse the proposal.
Weerasuk Kaewboonpun, a member of the wage committee who represents employees, insisted the April 17 meeting did not discuss any proposal to raise the daily minimum wage to 400 baht.
However, provincial committees were instructed to gather information for the next wage hike and submit it for review before October, he said.
Mr Weerasuk said the labour minister's announcement on the prospect of the wage rise could not put pressure on the tripartite wage committee.
He pointed out the 400 baht wage was an election campaign promise.
"The PM criticised the two-baht increase as unacceptable because it couldn't buy half an egg. But I asked him why the government didn't try to lower egg prices. The goods' prices are tied to the wage," he said.
A source in the Labour Ministry said businesses and trade associations are seeking a meeting with the labour minister on Monday to voice opposition to the fresh wage hike, not to discuss it.
They plan to take the matter to the Administrative Court if the government insists on hiking the wage.
Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin has reaffirmed the government policy to raise the daily minimum wage and praised the labour minister for his efforts.
The business community is opposed to the plan as they argue that wage adjustments should be based on workers' skills and apply only to businesses and provinces that are prepared to pay higher wages. They also fear job losses if the wage hike puts too much pressure on employers.