The Cabinet met on Tuesday, March 27, 2015, in Hua Hin. Some of the resolutions are as follows:
Title: Thai Transport Infrastructure Development Plan 2015-2022 and Urgent Transport Action Plan 2015
The Cabinet granted the following approvals as proposed by Ministry of Transport:
1. Approval in principle on Thai Transport Infrastructure Development Plan 2015-2022 to be used as framework for investment and operation during a period of eight years;
2. Approval in principle on the Urgent Transport Action Plan 2015 which will accelerate monitoring of relevant agencies’ operations;
3. Appointment of related agencies, namely, Ministry of Finance and Bureau of the Budget, to seek funding sources for investment projects under the Thai Transport Infrastructure Development Plan 2015-2022 as deemed appropriate; and
4. Approval for related agencies, namely, Ministry of Education, Ministry of Labor, Ministry of Science and Technology, Ministry of Industry and the private sector, to adopt Thai Transport Infrastructure Development Plan 2015-2022 and the Urgent Transport Action Plan 2015 in preparing personnel, labor and construction materials, and respond to demand for resources.
Gist of the matter
1. The Thai Transport Infrastructure Development Plan 2015-2022 includes: 1) intercity train network development, 2) public transportation network development to solve traffic problems in Bangkok and its outskirts, 3) increase of highway capacity to connect the country’s key production bases with those of neighboring countries; 4) marine transport network development; and 5) enhancement of air transport services capacity.
2. Urgent Transport Action Plan 2015 comprises of: 1) intercity train network development, 2) public transportation network development to solve traffic problems in Bangkok and its outskirts, 3) increase of highway capacity to connect the country’s key production bases with those of neighboring countries; 4) marine transport network development; and 5) enhancement of air transport services capacity.
Title: Informal workers survey (Year 2014)
The Cabinet was reported on the results of the 2014 informal workers survey as presented by Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT).
Gist of the matter
Ministry of ICT conducted the informal workers survey annually with citizens aged 15 years or older in every province using the sampling technique. There were 83,880 households used as samples, or around 293,580 people. The samples represented data at the provincial, regional and national levels. In 2014, overall number of informal workers decreased by 300,000 (from 25.1 million to 22.1 million workers) compared with the same period of 2013. Gist of the survey is as follows:
1. Number of informal workers: Of the total 38.4 million employed people, 22.1 million were informal workers representing 57.6%, while 16.3 million were formal workers representing 42.4%. By gender, there were slightly more male informal workers (12.1 million or 54.8%) than female (10.0 million or 45.2%). The majority of informal workers (35.1%) worked in the northeastern region, followed by the central region (22.8%), the northern region (21.4%), the southern region (13.7%) and Bangkok (7.0%);
2. Level of education: Most of informal workers or around 14.0 million (63.4%) had primary education or lower. High school graduates represented 28.1% of the total, or around 28.1%. Around 1.8 million informal workers or 8.2% had a college degree.
3. Economic activities: More than half of informal workers or 12.5 million people (56.9%) were in the agricultural sector, followed by the trading and service sector (7.2 million or 32.4%) and the manufacturing sector (2.4 million or 10.7%);
4. Injuries or accidents from work: Of the total 22.1 million informal workers, 3.9 million had injuries or accidents from work. The most common cause of injuries/accidents was sharps (64.5%), followed by accidental falls (17.9%), crashes and bumps (6.5%), fire and burns (4.9%), vehicle accidents (2.7), toxic chemicals (1.8%) and electrical shock (0.5%);
5. Problems encountered: According to the survey in terms of the problems informal workers encountered at work, the most prominent problem in need of government support was wage problems (52.6%), followed by workload problems (20.2%), lack of continuity of employment (15.5%) and others, such as no fringe benefits, no holidays, abnormal working hours, too many working hours, and no vacation leave.
The most common problems regarding work environment were about unchanged bodily movements (39.5%), dust, smoke and smell (25.6%), and insufficient lighting (15.0%).
Regarding work safety, 62.7% of informal workers were exposed to toxic chemicals, 17.2% worked with dangerous machines and tools, and 6.0% worked at height/underwater/underground.
Title: Opening of special trading precinct at Dan Singkhon border checkpoint
The Cabinet granted the following approvals as proposed by Ministry of Information and Communication Technology (ICT):
1. Approval on the opening of “Dan Singkhon Special Trading Precinct” as proposed by Ministry of Interior and Prachuap Khiri Khan Province, while waiting for the result of joint landscape survey made by Thai – Myanmar Joint Boundary Commission; and
2. Appointment of Ministry of Interior and Prachuap Khiri Khan Province to proceed with their related implementations.
Title: Approval on drafting and signing of Agreement on the Establishment of the Regional Secretariat for the Implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professions
The Cabinet approved the proposal by Ministry of Tourism and Sports as follows:
1. Approval on the drafting and signing of the Agreement on the Establishment of the Regional Secretariat for the Implementation of the ASEAN Mutual Recognition Arrangement on Tourism Professions. Before signing, if amendments are required in places that are not gist of the agreement, Ministry of Tourism and Sports is authorized to consider the matter without obtaining another Cabinet approval;
2. Assigning Minister of Tourism and Sports as signatory of the agreement; and
3. Assigning Ministry of Foreign Affairs to deliver Full Powers to Minister of Tourism and Sports in signing the agreement.
--Cabinet Meeting (Prayut Chan-o-cha) March 27, 2015--