Labour authorities have ordered the operator of a textile factory in Samut Prakan province to speed up paying more than 100 workers wages totalling 19.33 million baht.
The 109 workers also will receive 15% interest on the wages, which their employer had failed to pay them from July 2020 to April of this year.
The workers are among 115 employees in total who lodged complaints with labour inspectors claiming they were paid only partially by their employer, who refused to lay them off and give them their full severance pay, Labour Minister Suchart Chomklin said on Wednesday.
The complainants included two people who were due to retire and entitled to receive more than 350,000 baht in compensation, he said.
The minister was responding after employees rallied outside Samut Prakan's City Hall and petitioned the provincial governor to accelerate payment of their unpaid wages.
After the employer's business was affected by the coronavirus pandemic in 2020, the firm began cutting staff working days and paying them only partially, said Mr Suchart, citing an investigation by local labour authorities.
Most recently, the textile factory, in Phra Samut Chedi district, was on April 18 forced to cease operations when the electricity supply was cut off because the company failed to pay its bills.
"As a result, these people can no longer work there, but the employer keeps paying them only part of what they are owed," he said.
