Violations against workers' right to form and join trade unions in Thailand : case of dismissed workers establishing and joining trade unions in Eastern Seaboard Industrial estate, Rayong province

Abstract

This research explored the violations of the workers' rights to freely form and join trade unions of their own choice to defend their rights. Union leaders in industrial zone, especially the auto and auto-related industries including auto parts producers in the Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate were targeted when they formed and joined trade union to defend their basic labor rights. This research also examined the challenges and difficulties of the workers in this industrial park to freely organize and participate in labor union activities. Many challenges and difficulties reflected in this research were the obstacles against freedom of association and rights to bargaining collectively for the workers. However, the research lastly found some possible mechanisms that the workers could use to freely exercise their trade union rights. Fifteen union leaders from 8 private sector unions in Eastern Seaboard Industrial Estate were chosen as interviewees for the qualitative research. This qualitative research was based on open-ended questions using in-depth interview methods. In addition, one hundred union members were selected for the survey questionnaire as part of quantitative research to collect data on their perspectives on the limitation of their freedom of association and collective bargaining rights. Freedom of association and collective bargaining rights for the workers in Thailand were still limited. Many of the union leaders, establishers and members could not freely exercise their labor standards to establish labor unions. The Thai labor laws obstruct the workers to enjoy these basic labor rights, many of the workers were dismissed, intimidated, and discriminated against when they tried to form and join trade unions. While the workers were violated, there was no labor protection implemented as an instrument to protect the workers. The workers finally became victims of trade union rights violations against. Freedom of association and collective bargaining rights are core labor standards. These two significan;