Cal-Comp to compensate 1,450 Myanmar workers after sudden mass layoffs in Thailand

Cal-Comp Electronics (Thailand) has agreed to pay 1,450 laid-off Myanmar workers 15,000 baht ($460 US dollars) each and assist them with employment transfers, following a labor dispute at its factory in Phetchaburi province on Tuesday.The company, a subsidiary of Hong Kong–based Kinpo Group, abruptly fired thousands of Myanmar workers without notice on Tuesday, just three months after hiring them to meet rising orders. Sources say workers arriving for their shifts that morning were told they had been dismissed, had their employment cards seized, and were initially only given 5,000 baht ($150 US dollars) in compensation without transfer letters.Many refused to sign the documents and staged a protest demanding their legal rights.“The company’s initial plan was unacceptable,” a worker told Myanmar Now. "In response to our protest, the company finally added an extra month’s salary to the initial 5,000 THB compensation they gave us.”The laid-off staff are Myanmar migrant workers who hold pink cards, employed under the bilateral MoU between the two countries. They left their previous jobs and paid agent fees to join the factory, expecting greater job security from its large-scale operations.Each worker paid agents between 3,000 and 8,000 THB ($100-$250 US dollars) to work at the factory, often working overtime, including on official holidays, to meet production deadlines over the past three months. The sudden layoffs have left them facing significant difficulties, workers say.Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand frequently face exploitation, often trapped in low-paying, insecure jobs with little legal protection. Many arrive deeply in debt after paying recruitment fees or brokers, leaving them vulnerable to wage theft, sudden dismissals, and unsafe working conditions.Human rights groups say language barriers, lack of legal status, and fear of retaliation or deportation also make it difficult to report abuses or seek justice, allowing employers to violate labor rights with impunity.“We must find new jobs. We can’t just sit around with no work,” another migrant worker said. “Our families depend on us, so we have to take whatever work we can get.” Some had waited years to be hired at Cal-Comp Electronics. The sudden layoffs make finding new work even harder, they say, especially for those with expired pink cards. Pink cards are identification cards for foreign workers living and working in Thailand. Some of the laborers have expired visas, which prevent them from immediately securing new employment, he added. Although a month’s salary in compensation meets Thai legal requirements, many workers still suffered significant losses after spending considerable time and money to secure jobs at the factory, said Khaing Gyi of the Aid Alliance Committee (AAC), which supports Myanmar migrant workers in Thailand.“This layoff comes even after they’ve already faced exploitation,” Khaing Gyi told Myanmar Now. “Sometimes factories can’t offer year-round employment. But then orders surge, and workers aren’t told the truth.” Khaing Gyi also urged Myanmar workers in Thailand to thoroughly vet job offers and avoid employers with a record of sudden dismissals. On September 30, officials from the Myanmar embassy’s junta-appointed labour office joined Thai authorities in negotiations with the laid-off workers to address their demands, according to a statement from the Labour Attaché. “They don’t tell them that they’re only hired for just three to four months,” he said. “And once the project ends, the factories find reasons to fire them.”

Cal-Comp to compensate 1,450 Myanmar workers after sudden mass layoffs in Thailand

Hundreds of workers were abruptly dismissed without notice or proper compensation, highlighting the precarious conditions many migrants face in Thailand’s manufacturing sector

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