The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare affiliated with the Ministry of Labour announced that the Ministerial Regulation concerning Labour Protection in Sea Fishery Work B.E.2557 was publicized in the Royal Thai Government Gazette and came into force on 30 December 2014.

Mr.Peeraphat  Pornsirilertkit, the Director-General of the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare, informed that the Ministerial Regulation concerning Labour Protection in Sea Fishery Work B.E.2557 had been publicized in the Royal Thai Government Gazette and came into force on 30 December 2014. It could be regarded as the New Year’s gift provided for employees in sea fishery sector aiming to strengthen legal protection for employees and to prevent human trafficking. The key points of the Regulation include the prohibition of employment of persons under 18 years of age, the protection of employees on fishing vessels with 1 or more employees, the minimum hours of rest which is not less than 10 hours in any 24-hour period and not less than 77 hours in any 7-day period, the provision of record of employment and documents concerning payment of wages and holiday pay in Thai language, the provision of written contract, the arrangement for annual occasion for the employees to present himself to the labour inspectors, the provision of drinking water, toilets and medical supplies as labour welfare.

The Department of Labour Protection and Welfare emphasizes the collaboration among relevant agencies and enforces the laws against human trafficking intensively and concretely. During 9-31 January 2015, the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare cooperates with the Department of Employment to conduct the collaborative labour inspection on sea fishery vessels in targeted areas including Samut Sakhon Province, Chonburi Province, Chumphon Province, Songkhla Province and Pattani Province in order to combat human trafficking and labour exploitation and to protect employees equally in according to the laws. The collaboration also aim to eliminate the use of child labour and forced labour and protect vulnerable groups of employees concretely and effectively and monitor legal compliance among employers, entrepreneurs, employees in order to ensure full respect for the labour protection laws and to upgrade Thailand’s Tier 3 in the U.S. Trafficking in Persons Report within year 2015.