Labour Congress of Thailand
Encyclopedia
The Labour Congress of Thailand (LCT) is a trade union
federation in Thailand
which emerged following the fall of the military dictatorship in Thailand in 1973. Its first leader was Phaisan Thawatchaianan. Following the military coup of 1976 the LCT was forced to cease operations, but remerged at the end of 1977. Despite the anti-labour conditions of military-ruled Thailand at this time, the LCT was involved in campaigns for raising minimum wages, lifting the ban on strikes, opposing basic food price rises and seeking reform of tripartite bodies.
During the early 1980s factional differences emerged in the LCT, chiefly over the federation's relationship to political parties and the military. The faction associated with Phaisan, which sought independence from political and military figures, was defeated and left the organisation to form the Thai Trade Union Congress (TTUC).
In 1985 leaders of the LCT were arrested on charges of rebellion for supporting an attempted coup d'etat
by the Young Turk military faction.
Former LCT president Tanong Po-arn
, Thailand's most prominent labour leader, disappeared after the 1991 coup d'etat. His whereabouts are still unknown, and he is feared dead.
The LCT is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation
.
Trade union
A trade union, trades union or labor union is an organization of workers that have banded together to achieve common goals such as better working conditions. The trade union, through its leadership, bargains with the employer on behalf of union members and negotiates labour contracts with...
federation in Thailand
Thailand
Thailand , officially the Kingdom of Thailand , formerly known as Siam , is a country located at the centre of the Indochina peninsula and Southeast Asia. It is bordered to the north by Burma and Laos, to the east by Laos and Cambodia, to the south by the Gulf of Thailand and Malaysia, and to the...
which emerged following the fall of the military dictatorship in Thailand in 1973. Its first leader was Phaisan Thawatchaianan. Following the military coup of 1976 the LCT was forced to cease operations, but remerged at the end of 1977. Despite the anti-labour conditions of military-ruled Thailand at this time, the LCT was involved in campaigns for raising minimum wages, lifting the ban on strikes, opposing basic food price rises and seeking reform of tripartite bodies.
During the early 1980s factional differences emerged in the LCT, chiefly over the federation's relationship to political parties and the military. The faction associated with Phaisan, which sought independence from political and military figures, was defeated and left the organisation to form the Thai Trade Union Congress (TTUC).
In 1985 leaders of the LCT were arrested on charges of rebellion for supporting an attempted coup d'etat
Coup d'état
A coup d'état state, literally: strike/blow of state)—also known as a coup, putsch, and overthrow—is the sudden, extrajudicial deposition of a government, usually by a small group of the existing state establishment—typically the military—to replace the deposed government with another body; either...
by the Young Turk military faction.
Former LCT president Tanong Po-arn
Tanong Po-arn
Tanong Po-arn was a Thai labor union leader who disappeared following the National Peace Keeping Council's 1991 military coup against the elected government.-Leader of the Thai labor movement:Tanong Po-arn was President of the Labour Congress of Thailand...
, Thailand's most prominent labour leader, disappeared after the 1991 coup d'etat. His whereabouts are still unknown, and he is feared dead.
The LCT is affiliated with the International Trade Union Confederation
International Trade Union Confederation
The International Trade Union Confederation is the world's largest trade union federation. It was formed on November 1, 2006 out of the merger of the International Confederation of Free Trade Unions and the World Confederation of Labour...
.