Empowering Thai employers to champion migrant workers’ rights and protection

Employers in Kanchanaburi Province, Thailand, build skills to deliver post-arrival migrant worker training on labour rights and occupational safety and health.

KANCHANABURI, Thailand (ILO News) – Thirty employers from key industries in Kanchanaburi have strengthened their capacity to provide newly arrived migrant workers with accurate, practical guidance on labour rights and occupational safety and health (OSH).

The training, organized under the ILO PROTECT project by the Employers’ Confederation of Thailand (ECOT) and the Department of Labour Protection and Welfare (DLPW), aims to ensure that migrant workers begin their employment with a clear understanding of their rights, workplace standards and available protection mechanisms.

Migrant workers are an essential part of Thailand’s economy, particularly in construction, manufacturing and other labour-intensive sectors. Yet many face barriers in accessing reliable information during the early stages of employment, leaving them more vulnerable to unsafe conditions, exploitation and misinformation. Post-arrival training delivered by employers can be a critical first step in helping workers navigate the Thai labour market and understand national regulations, including OSH requirements, minimum standards, complaint mechanisms and the prevention of violence and harassment.

The initiative equips employers with practical tools to design and deliver training that is accurate, accessible and gender-responsive. Participants learned about employers’ duty and responsibilities under the labour laws related to migrant workers and OSH regulations. They had the opportunity to discuss the type of skills or training that migrant workers need and draft a short training plan for their workplace. With the input received from the workshop, a guide will be developed to support employer-led post arrival training. The programme also introduced examples of good practice drawn from enterprises across the region and aligned with ILO fair recruitment principles.

Kanchanaburi, home to a large concentration of export-oriented factories and a steady flow of workers arriving from Myanmar, is a priority area where strengthened employer capacity can have immediate impact. Support from the provincial DLPW office ensured outreach to enterprises that rely heavily on migrant labour and helped reinforce links between employers and local labour inspectors. “Migrant workers do not only seek jobs; they bring with them the hopes and dreams for better future. As employers, we have responsibilities not only to offer a workplace, but also opportunities.” – Siriwan Romchatthong, Secretary General of ECOT.

ECOT has been an active partner in promoting fair and responsible recruitment, strengthening employer understanding of legal obligations, and supporting violence and harassment prevention in line with international standards. Under the PROTECT project, ECOT and the ILO are working to scale up employer-focused tools so that post-arrival orientation becomes a standard component of decent work for migrant workers.

Looking ahead, continued capacity-building will help Thailand move toward more coherent, safer and rights-respecting labour migration practices. By investing in employer training and strengthening cooperation between national institutions, the programme contributes to a sustainable model that can be replicated across provinces and serve as a benchmark for responsible employment nationwide.

Originally published by ILO