Summary of AMCHAM Business Today Video Conference for March 25

A video conference meeting was held by AMCHAM Thailand at 10:00 AM on Wednesday March 25^th, to give members the chance to discuss developments that are affecting their businesses and learn what their peers are doing in response.

The following is a brief meeting summary that highlights the major items discussed and the agreed upon action items.

Summary

Cabinet Resolutions

The Thai Cabinet is still in the process of approving the measures taken to help employees and workforces that are affected by the spread of the coronavirus. However, on March 24 2020, the Prime Minister has declared a state of emergency due to the outbreak.
We are expecting further notice on various movement restriction orders in the Bangkok area this Thursday.
Some members have expressed concerns over the relief packages provided by the Thai government to business operators and requested additional clarification on the process of applying their employees to receive those benefits.
The AMCHAM team is working effortlessly to reach out to the Federation of Thai Industries, BOT and Thai Chamber of Commerce to find out the positions they are putting forward since we believe that now is the time to go in line with the Thai companies and pull through together.
AMCHAM and the U.S. Embassy are working closely together and will have U.S. Ambassador Michael DeSombre as a speaker in one of our videoconferences with notifications coming in the next few days.

Employee Support

One of the major concerns expressed by members is still on labor law and how companies of all sizes and sectors can preserve cash and not lay off employees in these turbulent times.
They also mentioned that the government should make clear on the movement control order, if there were to be one enacted in the near future and how companies with over 500 employees would be able to obtain the necessary documents for each staff to gain permission to cross police checkpoints.
If a company plans to put any of their employees into leave without pay, they would typically need to get consent from that particular person. However, in the current situation, employers may clarify the employee on the new government regulations and impose “No Work, No Pay”.
Our members have expressed concerns on applying their workers for the unemployment benefits announced by the Social Security Office and especially on how the government differentiate between a firm that is affected by the government closure declarations and one that is not.

Manufacturing and Trade

Members in the manufacturing industry commented that the 3 major ports in Thailand, Suvarnabhumi Airport, Laem Chabang Port, and Khlong Toei Port should not be closed in these circumstances to avoid the collapse of the economy from shortage of goods and shoppers panic-buying.
In terms of safety regulations for workers, some manufacturers want to keep staffs in their factories working and supply chains moving, but are considering the best measures to take to ensure they can still come to work and stay safe during a lockdown.
Some companies with over 1000 employees in their factories have started to add up to 55 new security measures to protect their people from the spread of the coronavirus.

Songkran Festival

April 13-15 are no longer the official holidays this year as the nation-wide Songkran festival and celebrations has been postponed until further notice with the continual rising in number of cases in Thailand.
It is speculated that the government will set up a new “Songkran Period” around the end of the year and most companies will follow through.
The reason behind it is the festival is an important Thai tradition and most Thais would prefer to have it on the same day for everyone so they can return to their hometown and get together with family members.

Action Points