Thai airport workers seek compensation for lost lunch breaks

Almost 200 Thai airport security workers who say they were denied breaks to eat or use the bathroom are filing a complaint against their employer, highlighting a jump in labour rights violations during the pandemic, union leaders said. The workers are demanding compensation of about $60,000 from AOT Aviation Security (AOT AVSEC), a joint venture including the country’s state-run airports operator - which has been involved in several other disputes with workers over the last year. Ampai Wivatthanasathapat, president of the airport workers’ union that plans to file the complaint at the Labour Ministry next week, said the case reflected a slide in working conditions in Thailand since the COVID-19 crisis struck in early 2020. “There has been a massive increase in labour rights violations across the country, with many employers using COVID-19 as an excuse to lay off workers without severance pay,” she said. Labour rights activists globally have voiced concerns about companies capitalising on the pandemic as an opportunity to cut costs by coercing workers to accept worse terms and conditions. Four security workers involved in the new case said they had not been allowed to leave their posts to eat or sometimes even to use the bathroom since they started working for the company in May 2020. They said the situation got worse last year when the company stopped hiring additional staff - with those left behind regularly reprimanded for stepping away to eat packed lunches, buy a snack or use the toilet. Some female staff had to use men’s toilets because the women’s restrooms were further away, the workers added. Story has more.<br/>