SOCIAL SECURITY RELIEF AGREED

Employers’ contributions cut to 3% for 6 months; soft-loan fund approved

The Social Security Office yesterday agreed to cut employers” monthly contributions from 5 per cent to 3 per cent for six months beginning January, before they are raised to 4 per cent in the second half of next year, as part of flood relief measures.

Somkiat Chayasriwong, permanent secretary of the Labour Ministry, said the SSO also approved a Bt10-billion fund for soft loans to employers to help them recover from the flood.

The credit scheme, which starts on January 1, would charge 3 per cent in interest for the first three years and 5 per cent for loans without collateral.

Labour Minister Phadermchai Sasomsap said that out of the nearly one million people forced temporarily out of work by floods across the country, more than 300,000 have been promised jobs by their employers after their flood-affected business recovers or continues.

The remaining 600,000 were waiting for their employers” decision after industrial estates resume operations.

A ThaiHealth Promotion Foundation survey found that many employees were worried about reemployment and post-flood wages.

Saithong Meemark, a worker at the heavily-indundated Nava Nakorn Industrial Estate, said she was informed by her employer by SMS that she would be paid only 75 per cent of her salary, while her co-workers hired day-by-day were all laid off.

According to the official flood damage report released yesterday, 661 people have drowned or were electrocuted in 23 provinces, including eight provinces recently hit by floods in the South. To date, 4,827,958 people in 1,800,043 households have been affected in 65 inundated provinces, including 50 provinces undergoing restoration or where the waters are receding.

In the North, Chiang Mai’s Om Koi and Samerng districts, covering 140 villages in 11 tambon, were declared disaster zones due to a cold snap from China.

Apart from nine killed, the number of residents affected by flooding in the South has reached 437,312 in 134,853 households.

At Don Mueang Airport, 166 submerged vehicles have been salvaged, with police cleaning the for free. Their owners were also given a free lift home if the engines could not be started.

Occupants of flood shelters supervised by the Bangkok Metropolitan Administration are now being sent home since the situation has returned to normal, and BMA-run schools, many used as shelters, in 40 districts would finally open on Monday for the new term.

Still 7,391 flood victims are living in 109 BMA shelters in 30 Bangkok districts, while 779 others want to stay on at 12 shelters.

Rajamangala University of Technology Thanyaburi has set up a centre to carry out post-flood restoration and projects, providing free repairs or maintenance for flood-damaged vehicles and electric appliances to more than 30,000 people living nearby, said Assoc Prof Namyuth Songthanaphithak, rector of RUTT.

A Big Cleaning Day will be held at RUTT on Monday at 9.39am while sponsorship and support from government agencies or businesses for this project are welcome, with queries made at 085-838-5390, he said.

A Krungthep Poll survey found that barely more than half of respondents were happy with the flood prevention work of Bangkok Governor Sukhumbhand Paribatra, but many were not quite confident that he could cope with future flooding.

The survey, conducted recently by Bangkok University on 1,188 residents, found that 54.1 per cent approved his work but 59.7 per cent, when asked about his success in handle the problem in coming years, said they were least confident.

Asked what they were not happy about with his performance, 44.7 per cent cited the governors’ poor preparedness and improvising to deal with immediate problems.

The post-flood measures that respondents most wanted to see were compensation for lost belongings and mental distress, collection of weeds and debris in waterways and sanitary conditions of canals, and long-term flood prevention solutions.

Asked if they would vote for Sukhumbhand if he runs again, 39.3 per cent said yes, while 29.6 per cent said no and 31.1 per cent replied not sure.