IBC泰國法律金融會計事務所International Business Consultancy

Thailand Adopts Work from Home Bill

泰國採納在家工作法案

On 28 December 2022, Thai parliament passed the Work from Home Bill, officially the Labour Protection Act (No. 8) B.E. 2566 (2023), to amend from the Labour Protection Act B.E. 2541 (1998) (the “LPA”). The purpose of this Act is to include the labors who work from home remotely instead of working at the employers’ premises. This legislation is now awaiting royal endorsement and is expected to be enacted very soon. Furthermore, the Ministry of Labour is expected to issue guidelines to provide further clarification on the compliance therewith.

泰國議會於2022年12月28日通過《在家工作法案》，正式名稱為佛曆2566年(2023年)第8號《勞工保護法》，修正佛曆2541年 (1998年)《勞工保護法》(簡稱“LPA” )。此法條的用意是包括在家工作為遠端完成的工作，而不是在雇主的機構或場所之議題。此法案目前正在等待王室核准，預計很快就會頒布。此外，預計泰國勞工部將發布指導方針，進一步澄清遵守這些指導方針的情況。

Please refer to our earlier article “Thai Government Considers New Labor Law regarding Work from Home” at https://0rz.tw/V5EHU about the detail of the Bill.

有關新法案的內容，請見我們先前的文章“泰國政府考慮針對在家工作的安排提出新的勞動保護法”在https://0rz.tw/V5EHU。

This Labor Protection Act B.E. 2566 adds new Section 23/1 that sets out the labors’ rights for remote workers. Whether employees work from home or work at office, employees should be entitled to equal protection from their employers. This new Section provides that employers are responsible to ensure that remote work agreements are in writing, either physically or electronically, and may include the following details:

佛曆2566年《勞工保護法》新增一條第23/1條，規定遠端工作者的勞工權利。員工在家或在辦公室工作，員工應有權根據當前情況從雇主獲得平等保護。新條文規定雇主有責任確保遠端工作協議以書面形式，無論是紙質的還是電子，並且可能包括以下詳細資訊：

(1) Period of the agreement;

協議期間;

(2) Normal working days and hours, rest periods and overtime work;

正常工作日和時間、休息時間和加班;

(3) Criteria for overtime work, holiday work and leave;

加班、節日工作和休假標準;

(4) Scope of employee’s responsibility and employer’s control or supervision; and

員工的責任範圍和雇主的控制或監督；及

(5) Responsibility for arranging work supplies and equipment, including other necessary expenses arising from the work.

負責安排工作用品和設備，包括因工作產生的其他必要費用。

The amended LPA provide employees who work from home the right to refuse contact from the employer or the supervisor beyond working hours. In addition, employers must treat remote employees equally to on-premise employees.

修訂的LPA 賦予在家工作的員工拒絕雇主或主管在工作時間以外聯繫的權利。此外，雇主必須平等對待遠端員工和在現場上班員工。

Overall, this Bill does not mandate significant changes, but offers necessary framework that balances the needs and interests of both employers and employees. This Bill may however, herald lasting shift in the country’s work culture, and inspire governments in other Southeast Asian countries to take similar steps.

總之，此法案並未強制要求進行重大變革，而是提供一個必要的框架來平衡雇主和員工的需求和利益。然而，此法案可能預示著該國工作文化的持久轉變，並激勵其他東南亞國家的政府採取類似措施。

IBC International Consultancy is a Law, Finance, and Accounting firm located in Bangkok, Thailand. With Experienced lawyers, accountants, and financial advisers, we provided services including investment, tax, and legal consultants in Thailand. Should you have any questions, please do not hesitate to contact us via Line: @ibcfirm for further information.

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