Thailand’s Labour Protection Act currently allows 98 days maternity leave, with several groups pushing for an expansion to 180 days to align with global standards and to support working-class parents.

Parliament yesterday (6 March) rejected one of the Move Forward Party’s labour protection bills, which proposed to limit working hours and require an annual wage increase, but accepted another MFP bill proposing to extend parental leave from 98 to 180 days.

<p>Workers at construction sites within a 5-kilometre radius of the Ming Dih Chemical polysterene factory fire were prohibited from evacuating by military personnel following a government order to close construction sites as part of the current Covid-19 lockdown measures.</p>