ILO-IPEC releases mini-survey results on employer perceptions and understanding on child labour, forced labour, migrant welfare and CSR in Thailand

The ILO-IPEC conducted together with Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) a mini survey on employer perceptions and understanding on child labour, forced labour, migrant welfare and CSR in Thailand in mid-2012 the results of which are now being released through this research snapshot.

News | 25 April 2013
The ILO-IPEC conducted together with Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) a mini survey on employer perceptions and understanding on child labour, forced labour, migrant welfare and CSR in Thailand in mid-2012 the results of which are now being released through this research snapshot.

The mini survey was intended to help assess how well fundamental labour rights related issues are understood by businesses and how relevant and corresponding to employers concerns the different provisions of the labour law in Thailand were in relation to their business situation. Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR), environmental issues and employer training needs were also covered in the survey.

Lack of clear regulations and assistance concerning recruitment of migrant workers was highlighted in the results. Understanding of child labour, forced labour and union rights were high and seen as an issue that needed to be addressed more at the level of un-registered businesses and in the informal economy.

The survey surfaced a need for targeted industry training programmes in the area of human resource management, safety and health and energy management. It also confirmed that Employers’ organizations such as ECOT can play a leading role in creating better understanding on labour issues and in advancing labour rights.

In May 2012 ECOT and ILO-IPEC organized jointly a seminar on “Dealing with Labour Issues in Export Supply Chains – Labour Rights and CSR – The Case of Thailand”. The mini survey was a follow up to this collaboration on promoting better understanding on child labour and forced labor among the business community.

ILO-IPEC Thailand
The ILO-IPEC project (2010-2014) in Thailand aims to address child labour and forced labour in shrimp and seafood processing areas and to help create an industry that is free of child labour and forced labour and offers decent working conditions and opportunities to Thai and migrant workers. Special attention is given to the situation of Thai and migrant children at risk of entering or/and involved in hazardous child labour. The ILO-IPEC programme is financed by the US Department of Labour.