Labour minister to visit Thai workers in Israel

BANGKOK, November 27 (TNA) - Labour Minister Police General Adul Sangsingkeo will visit Thai workers in Israel soon as part of his ministry's policy on taking care of Thai nationals working in foreign economies. The minister told journalists of his planned trip to Israel on Tuesday, saying that his ministry has closely followed up the situation of Thai workers in the country and other foreign economies. The minister stated that legal Thai workers in Israel are protected for their proper rights and benefits and can lodge their complaints or seek official assistance from the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv as the Thai government, through his ministry, has signed a labour agreement with the Israeli government on the employment of Thai workers since 2012, under which Thai workers are secured to each earn at least the minimum wage of 5,300 Israeli shekel, or about 47,000 baht, monthly and to be hired at the maximum of five years and 10 months if their two-year contract each is extended. Besides, the minister revealed that in 2019, teams of Thai medical personnel from the Ministry of Public Health are scheduled to visit Israel three times to provide medical checkup services to Thai workers there and to observe and give advice on their proper working and living conditions. The minister's remarks were in response to a recent media report that Thai workers in the Middle Eastern country have been taken disadvantages, namely being underpaid, and breached of their rights, namely living in unhealthy conditions. According to the minister, he has instructed the Thai Embassy in Tel Aviv to initially visit the Thai workers in Israel, as the embassy has successfully claimed a total financial compensation of over 47 million baht from employers for affected Thai workers so far. Based on official figures, there are now about nearly 25,000 Thai workers in Israel, most of whom work in the country's farm sector. (TNA)