Thailand

Relevant Legislation
Labour Relations Act, B.E. 2518 (1975)7

Definition/Purpose and Content

Pursuant to Sections 10 and 11 of the Labour Relations Act, work places with more than 20 employees may have a ‘working conditions agreement’, in writing that specifies the following:

1) employment and working conditions
2) working days/hours
3) wages
4) welfare
5) termination of employment
6) petition/complaints procedure for employees
7) an amendment or renewal procedure

Negotiation and Signing of Collective Agreements

Agreements must be negotiated and signed by representatives of the employees (elected by a minimum of 15 per cent of the workforce) and employers (the representative of the employer must be a director, shareholder, regular employee or committee member) [Section 13, Labour Relations Act]. The agreement must be in writing and displayed within three days of reaching agreement in an openly visible location for a minimum of 30 days [Section 18, Labour Relations Act]. The employer will furthermore register the agreement with the Director-General within 15 days of it being made [Section 18].

Implementation and Duration

Section 12 of the Labour Relations Act specifies that the time frame of working conditions agreements can be negotiated between employees and employers, but it should not exceed three years. If no time period is specified in the document then it will be deemed to run for a period of one year, and if no further negotiation is entered into upon expiration of this time then it will be deemed to run for a further year.

Endnotes
7 Thai Labour Relations Act, 1975, available at http://thailaws.com/law/t_laws/ tlaw0140_3.pdf (accessed 25/05/11).