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20 March, 2006
The ongoing protests across Thailand seeking the resignation of Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra were joined last week by thousands of public utilities’ workers, taking personal leave to march in the streets. Unions at the Electricity Generating Authority of Thailand (EGAT), the Metropolitan Electricity Authority and other state utility enterprises encouraged workers to join the protests on 13 and 14 March, with senior level EGAT managers assisting by granting all requests for leave from workers.
The State Enterprise Relations Confederation, made up of these public service labour unions, called a general assembly on the same days, in efforts to get workers to participate in protests.
A mass rally was held at Sanam Luang, Monday, 13 March, continuing into the next day when 100,000 people marched on the Government House to present a petition demanding Thaksin’s resignation. The workers and the utility unions of Thailand are also using the protests to demand an end to Thaksin-led efforts to privatise the state enterprises, a major undercurrent leading to the call for the billionaire’s resignation.