Business Community Asked to Join the Government’s Drive to Strengthen Industry

(30/08/2011)

Prime Minister Yingluck Shinawatra has asked the business community to join the Government’s drive to strengthen Thailand’s industry, saying that the business sector is considered a major driving force for the Thai economy. A group of executives from the Federation of Thai Industries called on the Prime Minister on 26 August 2011 to learn about the Government’s policies and to invite the Prime Minister to work with the private sector through the Joint Public/Private Sector Consultative Committee. The Prime Minister told the group that the Government would like to see the mapping out of a long-term plan for both the production and service sectors, which would contribute to industrial development as a whole. She expressed her willingness to listen to suggestions offered by the private sector, saying that she herself used to work in the private sector before and was well aware of the importance of creating better understanding between the Government and the private sector. She asked the Federation of Thai Industries to help communicate the Government’s policies to the private sector. Certain policies might not satisfy some people, but if everyone gave cooperation in pushing for them, she was certain that they would produce good results. The ultimate goal is the growth of the entire Thai economy. The Federation of Thai Industries called on the Government to pay special attention to small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs), as they serve as the foundation of the Thai economy. In this connection, the Prime Minister asked the Federation to collect information about problems faced by each industrial sector and submit it to the Government, which would join hands with the private sector in seeking solutions. In addition, the Prime Minister urged the Federation to give support for the Government’s policies of increasing in the daily minimum wage to 300 baht and offering a 15,000-baht monthly starting salary for new university graduates. She said that a deputy prime minister would hold discussions with the Federation on impacts of the policies on the private sector. The Government did not want to see an increase in the daily minimum wage without skill development. She called for the improvement of labor quality, especially in the service sector, which has a great number of workers. On this occasion, Prime Minister Yingluck was invited to visit the Federation of Thai Industries, which would submit strategies to her for economic development worked out by the private sector. The Federation would also offer suggestions on urgent problems relating to several ministries. It said that if the Joint Public/Private Sector Consultative Committee held regular meetings with the Prime Minister, various problems would be solved quickly and effectively.