Hospital workers threaten strike

More than 90,000 contract employees of all government hospitals across the country have threatened to stage a nationwide strike if their demands for a pay rise and welfare benefits are not met.

Speaking yesterday at Nakhon Ratchasima university, employees' leaders said all workers at 875 government hospitals and public health stations would stop if their fourpoint demands were not met by next month. Kanokphorn Suksanit, a protest leader, said the strike would not be carried out in a way that would affect treatment of patients or threaten their health.

 One demand....

Govt urged to seek loans from SSO

The Confederation of Thai Labour yesterday urged the government to consider seeking a huge loan from the Social Security Office (SSO) for projects to sustain the country's economy during the ongoing tough times.

"Instead of borrowing Bt70billion from foreign countries, why doesn't the government turn to the SSO?" the confederation's chairman, Manas Kosol said.

Currently, the Social Security Fund - managed by SSO  has accumulated cash of over Bt500billion. This year, SSO is scheduled to invest about Bt150billion of the amount in government bonds, state enterprises and more....

OAG disagrees with BMA's move to annul firetruck deal

The Office of the Attorney General (OAG) appears set to oppose any Bangkok Metropolitan Administration (BMA) move to unilaterally seek to annul the Bt6.68billion purchase of fire vehicles from an Austrian supplier, an informed source said yesterday.

Earlier this week, new Bangkok Governor MR Sukhumbhand Paribatra urged OAG to ask the Civil Court to void the purchase contract, or at least issue an injunction to prevent the next instalment being paid.

The next payment is due on February 11.

"The purchase contract states that in any dispute, the parties to the contract must dispatch their representatives to talk and an....