Resolution of the
southern rail strike
Policy chaos in Thailand?
By Jon Fernquest 
A good
MP is an MP who serves their constituency well.When is an MP acting in the interest of their constituency but against the national interest?
The resolution of the recent rail strike in the south covered in today's article raises this important question.
In resolving the rail strike, the Interior Minister took unilateral action without consultation with the transportation minister or other concerned parties.
The Transportation Minister is angry because the Interior minister usurped his authority.
Strangely enough, the governor of the state railway himself did not even know what the interior minister did!
The Interior Minister is from the south and the rail strike was in the south, apparently this was the reason he acted the way he did.
Thai public opinion was dead set against the recent rail strikes in southern Thailand. Decisive action to end the strike and make sure it didn't happen again would have been a desirable outcome for the nation as a whole.
The unilateral action by the interior minister might have weakened the government's bargaining position and might lead to even more strikes, according to today's article.
Such a stunning lack of coordination between government officials creates chaos in government policy and might even weaken the very state itself.
Today's article is rich in legal and dispute resolution vocabulary.
State Railway Thailand (SRT) -
the state-owned rail operator of Thailand, การรถไฟแห่งประเทศไทย (See Wikipedia)
an MP - a Member of Parliament (an elected representative serving the people of a district)
constituency - a district or division of a country that elects a representative to parliament
the interest of X in Y - the advantage or benefits gained by X in project or deal Y
national interest - the advantages or benefits gained by the whole country
took unilateral action - acted by themselves (without the involvement or permission of others)
consultation - asking other people for their opinion and preferences before acting
concerned parties - people who are affected by a decision or events, who have an interest in the outcome
authority - the power to make decisions and control events
usurped authority - take away another person's authority
public opinion - what all the people in a country of society think about an issue
dead set against - opposed, disagreed with a lot
desirable outcome - a result or situation in the end that you would like
the nation as a whole - the whole country (not just parts of it)
decisive action - decide and make choices quickly with confidence
bargaining position - how strong and able one side in negotiations is to demand changes to an agreement
negotiations - discussions and give and take in order to reach an agreement
weakened the government's bargaining position - make it more difficult to get what you want in negotiations or bargainning
stunning - surprising
coordination - working together to achieve a shared goal
lack of coordination - no coordination
dispute resolution - making people happy so they don't argue anymore
an MP - a Member of Parliament (an elected representative serving the people of a district)
constituency - a district or division of a country that elects a representative to parliament
the interest of X in Y - the advantage or benefits gained by X in project or deal Y
national interest - the advantages or benefits gained by the whole country
took unilateral action - acted by themselves (without the involvement or permission of others)
consultation - asking other people for their opinion and preferences before acting
concerned parties - people who are affected by a decision or events, who have an interest in the outcome
authority - the power to make decisions and control events
usurped authority - take away another person's authority
public opinion - what all the people in a country of society think about an issue
dead set against - opposed, disagreed with a lot
desirable outcome - a result or situation in the end that you would like
the nation as a whole - the whole country (not just parts of it)
decisive action - decide and make choices quickly with confidence
bargaining position - how strong and able one side in negotiations is to demand changes to an agreement
negotiations - discussions and give and take in order to reach an agreement
weakened the government's bargaining position - make it more difficult to get what you want in negotiations or bargainning
stunning - surprising
coordination - working together to achieve a shared goal
lack of coordination - no coordination
dispute resolution - making people happy so they don't argue anymore
(In photo on right "railway officers inspect the third carriage of the Wong Wian Yai-Maha Chai train which derailed near Wat Sing station in Bangkok's Bang Bon district yesterday morning. Authorities are checking to see whether the accident was caused by missing rail clips")
Sohpon upset at way Hat Yai rail strike ends
Transport chief slams Thaworn for mediation30/10/2009
Amornrat Mahitthirook and Wichayant Boonchote
Transport Minister Sohpon Zarum has denounced Deputy Interior Minister Thaworn Senneam's move to mediate with Hat Yai railway staff and union members to end their strike.
upset - unhappy,
disappointed, angry about something that happened
a strike - when the employees of a company in a labour union stop working because of a disagreement over pay or work conditions
X slams Y - X attacks Y
mediate (verb) - try to end a disagreement or dispute by finding things both sides can agree on
mediation (noun) - the process of mediating a dispute
denounced - criticize a person strongly in public for something they did wrong
a union, a labour union - an organization of workers that works to improve their pay and conditions of work
union members - workers in a labour union, helped by the union
a strike - when the employees of a company in a labour union stop working because of a disagreement over pay or work conditions
X slams Y - X attacks Y
mediate (verb) - try to end a disagreement or dispute by finding things both sides can agree on
mediation (noun) - the process of mediating a dispute
denounced - criticize a person strongly in public for something they did wrong
a union, a labour union - an organization of workers that works to improve their pay and conditions of work
union members - workers in a labour union, helped by the union
All services to the three southernmost provinces resumed yesterday after talks on Wednesday between Mr Thaworn and State Railway of Thailand staff and union members in Hat Yai, Songkhla.
The Hat Yai union had demanded certain conditions be met before it would call off the strike. That included trains being repaired and kept in working order and that substitute railway staff from Bangkok be withdrawn.
Mr Thaworn is a Democrat from Songkhla. Mr Sohpon is a member of the Bhumjaithai Party.
call off the strike
- end the
strike
kept in working order - keep machine in good condition so that it continues working
substitute railway staff - railway workers used as replacements (for striking workers)
withdrawn - taken away
kept in working order - keep machine in good condition so that it continues working
substitute railway staff - railway workers used as replacements (for striking workers)
withdrawn - taken away
Mr Sohpon said Mr Thaworn's move to mediate an end to the stoppage might rebound on him as the Hat Yai union could use the agreement as a lever in further negotiations.
He insisted the dispute should have been resolved through regulations and legal channels and the law applied to staff at all levels. Solving the problem through compromise would only end up bowing to demands, which is not a solution, he said.
SRT governor Yutthana Thapcharoen said the agency had not been informed of the agreement between the Hat Yai union and Mr Thaworn.
He confirmed that evidence was being gathered against another six union committee members who were suspected of involvement in the stoppage, including union leader Sawit Kaeowan.
mediate an end to the stoppage -
try to end the strike by the union, by giving them some things they
want (compromise)
rebound on him - have a negative effect on him in the future
lever - something that can be used to make people do what you want (originally: "lever" is tool to lift heavy objects)
use the agreement as a lever in further negotiations - use the agreement as a tool to get what you want in further negotiations
insisted Y - say firmly and strongly that Y is true or Y must be done
dispute - fight, argument
resolve - solve a problem
resolved through regulations and legal channels - solve the problem through regulations and the law
compromise - when each side in a disagreement demands less in order to reach agreement
bowing to demands - giving people what they ask for
informed of the agreement - told that the agreement exists (otherwise don't know)
confirmed - said that a claim is true, verified
evidence - information used to prove facts in a court of law
rebound on him - have a negative effect on him in the future
lever - something that can be used to make people do what you want (originally: "lever" is tool to lift heavy objects)
use the agreement as a lever in further negotiations - use the agreement as a tool to get what you want in further negotiations
insisted Y - say firmly and strongly that Y is true or Y must be done
dispute - fight, argument
resolve - solve a problem
resolved through regulations and legal channels - solve the problem through regulations and the law
compromise - when each side in a disagreement demands less in order to reach agreement
bowing to demands - giving people what they ask for
informed of the agreement - told that the agreement exists (otherwise don't know)
confirmed - said that a claim is true, verified
evidence - information used to prove facts in a court of law
Meanwhile, six railway staff have defied a dismissal order against them over the rail service disruption.
The SRT chief issued an order dismissing Thawatchai Boonvisoot, Soravut Porthongkam, Sarote Rakjan, Prachaniwat Buasri, Wiroon Sakaekhum and Nitinai Chaiphume, effective from Tuesday.
The six worked at Hat Yai station. None of them belonged to the union so they could be fired immediately.
a dismissal order - an
order take job away from people (order to "fire" people)
defy - do not do what you are told
defied a dismissal order - did not follow order and take the job away from people
disruption - prevent from operating normally
rail service disruption - prevent trains from operating normally
...effective from Tuesday - ...starting from Tuesday
fired - have job taken away (because did something wrong)
defy - do not do what you are told
defied a dismissal order - did not follow order and take the job away from people
disruption - prevent from operating normally
rail service disruption - prevent trains from operating normally
...effective from Tuesday - ...starting from Tuesday
fired - have job taken away (because did something wrong)
Mr Wiroon said they could not accept being dismissed because it was not in line with the facts involving the union's actions. He denied allegations rail staff and union members had seized trains and disrupted rail services.
The union had only wanted to make sure the trains and related equipment were repaired and kept in working order, and that the intention was to ensure passenger safety.
He said staff were allowed to demand an upgrade in safety measures under the Labour Relations Act.
Mr Wiroon said the dismissal order by the SRT governor was meant to bully the staff and he believed it was politically motivated.
Mr Sawit said the union would provide the six railway staff with legal counsel. The union will advise the staff to appeal the dismissal order within 15 days.
not in line with the facts
- facts say not true (contradiction with facts)
allegations - claim wrongdoing by someone, but not proven yet proven
denied allegations - claim that a claim of wrongdoing is not true
disrupted rail services - trains prevented from operating normally
intention - the goal he wanted to achieve (the reason he acted)
upgrade - improve
upgrade in safety measures - improve the actions taken to make things safe
Labour Relations Act - Thailand's laws regarding employee rights and unions (See Thai labour law)
bully the staff - do bad things to employees to force them to do what you want
politically motivated - done for political reason
legal counsel - a lawyer who can help you with a legal problem
appeal - formally asking a higher court or authority to reverse a legal decision already made
appeal the dismissal order - ask the dismissal order to be reversed and ended
allegations - claim wrongdoing by someone, but not proven yet proven
denied allegations - claim that a claim of wrongdoing is not true
disrupted rail services - trains prevented from operating normally
intention - the goal he wanted to achieve (the reason he acted)
upgrade - improve
upgrade in safety measures - improve the actions taken to make things safe
Labour Relations Act - Thailand's laws regarding employee rights and unions (See Thai labour law)
bully the staff - do bad things to employees to force them to do what you want
politically motivated - done for political reason
legal counsel - a lawyer who can help you with a legal problem
appeal - formally asking a higher court or authority to reverse a legal decision already made
appeal the dismissal order - ask the dismissal order to be reversed and ended
(Source: Bangkok Post, Sohpon upset at way Hat Yai rail strike ends, Transport chief slams Thaworn for mediation, 30/10/2009, Amornrat Mahitthirook and Wichayant Boonchote, link)
