The Thai Government s management of migrant workers a case study of the MOU between Thailand and Myanmar migrant workers

Abstract

In 2003, an MOU between the government of Thailand and the government of Myanmar for Cooperation in the Employment of Workers was signed to organize a system for legally registering migrant workers. This study examined the problems of the MOU system to identify existing obstructions and offer appropriate solutions for greater effectiveness of the system. The data were collected using semi-structured interviews with nine participants. Five documented Burmese workers and four officers from the Ministry of Labor and the Ministry of Defense were interviewed. The results of the interviews illustrated the government’s current efforts to manage the documented workers through the MOU system, such as solving social problems and human trafficking, and establishing a transparent employment contract. The results also indicated that there were three problems with the MOU: overly complicated procedures, high and unregulated expenses, and long registration periods. After the MOU system was implemented, the government proposed solutions by arranging bilateral meetings, extending registration times, and solving the exploitation of migrant workers by agencies. This study recommended two solutions for improving migrant worker management. The first solution was that the governments of Thailand and Myanmar must improve the details of the MOU for more suitable and practical through regular bilateral meetings with relevant officers, must share problems and discuss solutions for proper procedures, expenses, and effective management. The second solution was to improve public relations and public understanding of the MOU system to increase legal employment in Thailand