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The Alliance of Democratic Workers’ Unions (ADTU) is a workers’ organisation set up by the workers’ unions which strive to provide their members with active learning, encourage solidarity among workers, campaign for a better standard of living, promote workers’ rights and freedom, and build up an egailitarian and democratic society.

Since 2001, Thailand has reached a new era of political development. Unfortunately, we have had a government which represents mainly the interest of monopolistic capitalists. By pursuing the free trade policy which necessitates the suppression of workers’ wage and the violation of workers’ right of association, the country has consequently become more and more dependent on a westerncentered capitalist system which expands its boundaries to encompass the entire world. Meanwhile, a large number of workers’ unions have become weak, divided and dominated by the government and their employers, hence they cannot run their organisations independently. Trade unions have thus turned to be a vehicle to achieve the goals of workers’ leaders who seek only to satisfy their own interests. Such development within the labour movement has led to an abundance of serious efforts to lift up the workers’ living standards.

Within this regard, a certain number of workers’ unions have joined hands with some non-governmental organisations to coordinate with other free and democratic workers’ unions in order to jointly form a new, alternative kind of workers’ organisation which strives to campaign for government’s responses and resolutions to workers’ pressing problems.

On 29 May 2001, the Electricity Generating Authority Workers’ Union and another 46 allied organisations led 1,500 workers to submit four demands to the government, namely the promulgation of the Royal Drcrees on Unemployment Insurance, increment of child care benefits, one rate of 180 Baht minimum wage nationwide, replacement of the government’s Labour Relations Act with the version proposed by the labour movement.

Since the government did not respond to any of those demands at that time, the ADTU then mobilized again their worker members to gather and demonstrate in front of the Government House. This time the government was thus pressured to increase child care benefits to 200 baht a month, and to enact the Royal Decree on Unemplyment Insurance, both resolutions of which took effect in 2003 and 2004 respectively.

Eventhough our movement during 2001-2002 could achieve its end to a certain level, but quite a few other significant demands still remained unfulfilled. Various unions which jointly led continuous efforts for the improvement of workers’ lives, therefore resolved in 2003 to set up “The Alliance of Democratic Trade ’ Unions (ADTU)” to carry on the struggle for realisation of the remaining demands. On 24 November 2003, the ADTU led the fourth workers’ demonstration demanding firstly a minimum wage increase to 200 baht in accordance with the request made by the Textile Industry Workers’ Federation, secondly the enactment of a law which abolishes the enterprises’ popular system of contracting services out or the system of hiring contracted labour, thirdly the increment of child delivery benefits from 4000 to 6000 baht, and fourthly the enactment of the labour movement’ s proposed version of labour relations law. The government responded at that time only to the demand on child delivery benefits by agreeing to enforce the concerned law on 13 April 2004.

The Alliance of Democratic Trade ’ Unions (ADTU) was organised to carry out the labour movement’s task of pushing for the issues affecting workers. The ADTU has joined hands with some other labour organisations e.g. the Thai Labour Organisation and the Labour Solidarity Committee. Our main purposes are to bring about unity within the Thai labour movement to strenghten its bargaining power, render support to representatives of the central labour organisation in various tripartite organisations, push for getting workers’ representatives who really represent workers’ interest in the tripartite organisations, and persistently urge the Ministry of Labour to solve various labour problems etc.

The ADTU is by no means a leading organisation of the Thai labour movement. It acts rather as a center of coordination, bringing various trade unions to work together to push for the government’s response to workers’ demands. The ADTU is confident that the working class has its own force to bring about social changes once they are strongly united among themselves and with other people's organisations both within the country and worldwide.

The ADTU is open for new memberships, be it workers’ unions, groups of organisations or individuals who strive to strengthen and develop the trade union movement for the struggle to achieve its goal, and to become a new hope for a thorough social change and development.

Unite and strengthen the working class in the struggle for their rights, freedom and a better living standard with security and human dignity.
Enhance the organisation of workers for the establishment of democratic trade unions.
Enhance workers’ participation in socio-economic and political development as well as the development of democracy.
Coordinate cooperation and solidarity among individuals and various organisations at both the national and international level in order to lift up the labour standards and bring about a better social development.
Campaign for a better living standard of workers as well as their rights and freedom in all aspects and dimensions.

Somyos Phruksaksemsuk, Wasu Daengsungnuen, Boonsean Utthayarak, Jirawat Phonvieng, Galaya Thapyai, Phaithoon Sagnuonsuk, Garan Jengarn, Khamphong Khamphitoon, Saifon Shue-phetch, Rabeab Graphanee, Suthat Leepakhon, Nittaya Ahjbamrung, Somya Unsaeng, Prasit YaodKho