Picture this: a scene akin to a modern-day agora, where the modern gladiators of economy – representatives of employers, employees, and the governmental guardians – join forces on a committee. Their mission? To determine the fate of the daily minimum wage for workers across the land. Emerge from their ranks a resolution, sealed as the clock struck the end to a recent Friday’s dance, to boost the monetary welcome for the laborers. Starting with the sun’s first journey across the new year sky, the fruit of their toil would swell, pushing the boundaries from 330 to 370 baht, varying with the watershed where one might lay their head.
Now, before you start picturing workers frolicking in streets lined with golden coins, let’s unpack those numbers. In the grand scheme of things, we’re looking at an increment somersaulting between 2 and 16 baht – we’re talking about a modest hike here, an average rise of precisely 2.4%.
Enter Prime Minister Srettha Thavisin, a man whose hat rack includes a rather fashionable ‘Finance’ headpiece. He eyed this new wage tableau with a scowl rather than a smile, deeming the uptick as “too small.” A harbinger of light wallets and tightened purse strings, perhaps? Our premier certainly seems to think so.
Under the relentless media spotlight on a Tuesday that just passed, he was quizzed about his views. “The suggestion has been tossed into the ring,” he declared, a shrug in his voice. “We now await the committee’s next act.” Despite his personal qualms, Thavisin underscored his stance – respect the committee’s decision he will, but his eyes are set on a Cabinet rendezvous come the eve of the 25th of December, in anticipation of a New Year revelation that could jingle louder than the seasonal bells.
But hang on, there’s another player in this economic drama. We’ve got Phiphat, a character not entirely pleased with the current script. Swarmed by an inquisitive press, he revealed his intention to play the advisor, urging the committee to rewrite the wage calculating formula. Why, you may wonder? There’s a prevailing belief that the math underpinning this decision has been culled from the archives of 2020 – a curious choice, to be sure, for shaping futures in a world that’s moved on.
While the committee busies itself with abacus and ledgers, and the Cabinet readies its collective pen for a potential stroke of approval, the nation holds its breath, workers anticipate, and the market adjusts its scales. A tale of minimum wage continues to unfold, swathed in both optimism and trepidation.
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