Cambodia and Thailand have reached an agreement to facilitate 40,000 migrant Cambodian workers renewing work permits due to expire on July 31.

According to the Bangkok Post on Saturday, the agreement was made because Thailand is currently lacking the labour force and this will benefit Cambodian migrant workers if the Cambodian Embassy in Thailand increases its help to facilitate work documents at a faster pace.

Director-General of the Department of Employment in Thailand, Pairoj Chotikasathien, said that the deal was reached during a meeting between Thai labour officials and Cambodian counterparts in the hopes of alleviating the shortage of employees, according to the Bangkok Post.

He added that all workers faced challenges during the Covid-19 pandemic, so the agreement will allow Cambodian workers to work in Thailand legally for four years.

Chotikasathien confirmed that the Thai side asked Cambodian labour authorities to speed up certifying documents pertaining to workers personal information. This relates to those allowed to stay until July 31, under a cabinet resolution.

Heng Sour, a spokesman at the Labor Ministry, did not reply to requests for comment.

Moeun Tola, Executive Director at the Center for Alliance of Labor and Human Rights (CENTRAL), said that the agreement is good for Cambodian migrant workers who have stayed in Thailand for nearly four years so they can continue their work in a post-Covid-19 recovery period.

Tola added that during Covid-19, some legal migrant workers became illegal due to their passports expiring and they were unable to renew as Thai authority made some complicated requirements.

Therefore, in the agreement, Cambodia asked Thailand to facilitate both legal and illegal workers to fulfil any documents to enable them to work there without fear, he said.

According to the agreement, Tola explained that the Thai economy needs support from foreign migrant workers, including Cambodia, Laos, Myanmar, and Vietnam, to work on farms.

Other businesses include industry, tourism, private enterprises with chicken and seafood factories also requiring foreign labour. At the same time, hospitality also needs Cambodian migrant workers, he said, adding that they are less expensive than Thais.

“Allowing workers to work conveniently is very good, but I am still concerned when the Thai side asked the Cambodian authorities to work and clear some documents, including passports and national identification cards, which are the important works for the Cambodian Embassy to handle,” Tola said.

He urged Cambodian Embassy officials to solve the problems and not charge people money because it will make the process more complicated.

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