Thai airport staff sue over pay dispute as virus hammers travel sector

A group of Thai airport workers are suing a security company hired by state-owned Airports of Thailand (AOT), saying they were tricked into accepting worse terms with the threat of losing their jobs. Ten security staff at Bangkok’s Suvarnabhumi Airport said in a lawsuit they were pressured to resign from ASM Management and sign new contracts as part of a restructuring in May by AOT, which manages six airports and has been hit hard by coronavirus. Labour rights’ campaigners have voiced concerns about companies capitalising on the pandemic as an opportunity to cut costs by coercing workers to accept worse terms and conditions. Thailand is fast returning to normalcy having recorded about 58 COVID-19 deaths and 3,440 cases since January, but the tourism-reliant economy has been battered by the collapse of global travel and a ban on foreign travellers imposed in April. The workers in the lawsuit said their new contracts with AOT Aviation Security (AOT AVSEC) - a joint venture between AOT, ASM, and two other security companies - left them on lower pay and without benefits such as a transport allowance. The case was filed in July but had not been made public. The workers are suing ASM for termination without severance pay and not providing payment to cover their notice period. Five lawyers said coercing workers to resign amounted to wrongful dismissal under labour laws, and entitled them to compensation.<br/>