Teacher training, trade union relations and tax reform: FES Thailand helps local initiatives boost social justice across the board

“Thailand is going through a period of change on many levels,” said Stine Klapper, Resident Director of the country office.  “We have a chance to support Thais in building a brighter and more inclusive future.” 

Not that FES has been sitting on its hands until now—a variety of projects have been running for decades in a wide range of areas.

One of the foundation’s longest-running projects has been with the trade unions. Thailand is a manufacturing hub, and is experiencing the global move towards increased automation, online work and what is becoming known as the gig economy. These paradigm shifts represent an opportunity to add new and better jobs but also increase the risks of precarious or insufficient employment. FES supports workers’ organizations to ensure that their rights and job security are preserved amid all these changes. 

The foundation works with the Northern Labour Network, which brings together workers and civil society organizations to identify common issues, and build strategies to face them together. This collaboration has enabled them to lobby local authorities in Chiang Mai, northern Thailand, to legislate for improved workers’ protection, among other successes. 

Education has been another focus of Thailand’s social policy in recent years, and FES has been working with several universities and other local partners to promote civic education and democratic citizenship. Training those who teach others is the best way to effect rapid change for the widest number of people. The FES-supported teacher training programmes have consistently been oversubscribed, a testament both to the appeal of the project, and to the commitment by local Thai partners and citizens to the principles of social justice. 

This work to build the country’s democratic citizenship has been led by a network of Thai academics, education officials and civil society in recent years. A key element of this was the 2016 founding of the Thai Civic Education Center at Chulalongkorn University in Bangkok, with support from FES and others.

At a policy level, FES engages with policy communities through its Economy of Tomorrow programme. In 2017, this had two focus topics: taxation and digital transformation. Participants include academics and think tanks, in the field of economics but also political science, as well as NGOs and labour organizations, and the media.

“Fiscal probity may seem like a dry topic, but it is an essential foundation to any state’s provision of services to its citizens” - Stine Klapper

Thailand’s taxation is facing particular challenges regarding the effectiveness of collection, the provision of services, and social justice. “Fiscal probity may seem like a dry topic, but it is an essential foundation to any state’s provision of services to its citizens,” said Klapper. “It is about improving the lives of the people.” The Economy of Tomorrow forum provides a platform to discuss possible improvements to the fiscal system, between decision makers and stakeholders.

Regarding digital transformation, the forum examines the impact of increased connectivity on economic activity and beyond. This includes the more social aspects of the internet, such as security, privacy and freedom of information and expression.

Looking forwards, FES is also working with partners to develop the youth with the range of skills they will need to contribute to a more socially just future, in areas including women’s rights and news media.

A recent study by FES explored the particular dynamics of political feminism in modern Thailand (<link news political-feminism-and-the-womens-movement-in-thailand external-link>link to the study in English and Thai).