Workers in Thailand’s textile industry called for higher wages and labour rights while condemning the military regime.

The Textile, Garment and Leather Workers' Federation of Thailand (TWF) issued a statement on Thursday to demand that the government increase the minimum wage from 300 baht to 421 baht per day (from about 9.1 to 13 USD per day) and to hold elections as soon as possible.

The statement was issued a day before International Labour Day on 1 May to raise awareness on labour issues and to commemorate the struggle of the working class throughout history.   

In its statement, the TWF also call on the government to ratify the fundamental International Labour Organization conventions No. 87, 98, 135, and 183 to guarantee the rights of workers to form unions and to collective bargaining with employers, and protection for labour unionists, pregnant workers, and workers with health complications.

The government must invest in creating a welfare state and allocate budget for the development of labour unions, added the TWF.

In addition to their demands on labour rights, the TWF condemned the military regime and the 2014 coup d’état.

“Currently, the conflict in Thai society is a class conflict in which the conservatives want to destroy the movements of the working class and people who love democracy. They therefore use every state mechanism to destroy democratic movements which eventually has led to many coups d’état,” said the statement.

The TWF added “The coup on 22 May 2014 brought the creative political, economic, and social development of the country to a halt.”