SOCIAL SECURITY / AMENDMENT OF LAW

Office will reinstate self-employed workers

PENCHAN CHAROENSUTHIPAN

The Social Security Office (SSO) has agreed to reinstate self-employed workers who lost benefits after failing to contribute to the Social Security Fund (SSF). Boonchan Thaithongsuk, director of the SSO's contributions division, said the office will draw up a draft amendment of the Social Security Fund Act to pave the way for the reinstatement of the fund members' status as subscribers.

The scheme will benefit around 330,000 workers who subscribed to the SSF under article 39 but failed to contribute to the fund, making them lose their status, she told a public hearing on the social security law amendment on Monday.

Under article 39 of the Social Security Act, unemployed workers wishing to retain their benefits are required to pay 432 baht a month, which covers the subscriber's and the employer's portions.

However, their status is automatically terminated if they fail to contribute to the fund for three consecutive months.

This means they will be unable to claim coverage for sickness, disabilities, maternity leave, death, child support and old-age pensions. Labour rights advocates said this was unfair to the subscribers, most of whom had paid contributions over the past few years only to be stripped of their benefits in a blink.

Mrs Boonchan said the reinstatement scheme will only be for former SSF members under article 39.

Workers wanting to reclaim their benefits are required to submit their requests to the SSO within 90 days after the draft legislation is enforced.

Workers and labour rights advocates have welcomed the plan, but warned that the scheme could only partially help self-employed workers. They called on the SSO to exempt self-employed workers from paying the employer's portion to the fund.

Prathuang Saengsung, chairman of the National Congress of Thai Labour, said it was unreasonable to force fund members who did not have an employer to shoulder the employer's portion too.

Arunee Srito, a subscriber to the fund under article 39, supported Mr Prathuang's proposal.

She also urged the SSO to allow workers to temporarily suspend contributions and rejoin the fund when they are in a financial position to do so.

Several employers taking part in the public hearing, meanwhile, proposed the SSO come up with a new scheme which would allow fund members to choose between different types of social coverage.

The less coverage members choose, the less they would be required to pay to the fund. This would reduce the workers' financial burden.

''The SSO should not think much about profits and losses. It should think about the principle and intent of social security _ which is to better protect workers and reduce the social burden,'' Ms Arunee said.

Sujittra Boonchu, an SSO expert, said the SSO was not concerned about money but admitted that the agency had to ensure the fund's stability.

Bangkok Post
Wednesday January 31, 2007