A survey conducted by the Arom Phong Phangan Foundation on 144 workers who had used the government's unemployment fund, revealed that 54 per cent had had no idea about the existence of the fund prior to losing their jobs.

Just 36 per cent of respondents said they learnt about the scheme from the government, despite the fact that the scheme - which deducts minimum amounts from workers, employers and the state - came into effect in July 2004.

"Many workers do not know their rights. They don't know what rights they have after they lose their jobs and many fail to receive benefits simply because of the lack of available information," said Vasana Lumdee who conducted the survey. Vasana said hundreds of potential respondents were unable to judge the effectiveness of the scheme because they had never accessed it.

The survey revealed that 35 per cent of respondents still think the unemployment benefits are too low, with the maximum payment being 50 per cent of their previous salary or no more than Bt7,500 per month for six months - meaning workers who were earning Bt5,000 a month, would receive just Bt2,500.

"For those on a low income, 50 per cent of the salary is not enough," said Supranee Lerklaksanee, a former garment factory worker in Nonthaburi province who lost her job two years ago.

Of the respondents, 20 per cent said they would like the payments to amount to 100 per cent of their previous salary or at least enough for them to get by. And 17 per cent said better publicity was needed to inform workers about their rights to access the Bt13-billion unemployment fund, which is part of the social security system.

Boonrasri Burapathanin, a director at the Office of Social Security warned however, that the Bt13 billion might not be enough if the economy is heading towards a recession. She said judging from the drop in customers witnessed by the entertainment and nightlife industry, the economy may be in decline.

However, Bandit Thanachaisae-thawut, a researcher at the Arom Phong Phangan Foundation, said the problem was not the sum of the money available but the lack of information, which prevents laid-off workers accessing the fund. "The challenge is how we can widely distribute the fund [to unemployed workers]."

At present there are no clear statistics regarding how many out of work individuals are failing to access the scheme due to their lack of knowledge about it. William Conklin, the director of the American Centre for International Labour Solidarity (ACILS), which funded the survey and workshop yesterday, said more funds could easily be put into the social security system because Thailand was not a poor country.

"There's a need for dialogue between labourers and the government," he said, adding the challenge lies in expanding the coverage and bringing more people into the system. This requires the government taking greater responsibility and employers also doing their part, he said.

Pravit Rojanaphruk

The Nation