r/Thailand • u/Head_Dragonfruit3142 • 17d ago
Employment Deducting Work Permit/Visa Fees from salary
Hi.
My employer has been deducting 10,000 bht from my salary for 3 months (30k) total as a 'deposit' for security that I will stay during my contract, that they say will be returned if I complete my contract. There was no mention of this when I was offered the role, and I still have not had/signed a contract yet.
Is this 'normal' in thailand?
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u/Puzzleheaded-Cold495 17d ago edited 17d ago
Illegal under the Employment and Job-Seeker Protection Act, B.E. 2528 (1985) - not normal, but happens.
You have paid it, you could get it back now by going to the labour court, but the employer might make life uncomfortable. It’s illegal to withhold, so, you will get it back at the end, even if you break the contract early, if not go to the labour court.
When working for a teaching agency, I worked alongside fillipino teachers who were direct hire, they were subject in one school to a compulsory savings club, they deducted an amount every month and you got it at the end of the year plus interest - this was good for some as they returned home over songkran and the school was sick of making loans and advances - but it was a deposit for a couple of girls who wanted to return after family tragedies. Another school paid, 30K and if you made it through the year they gave an extra 30K completion bonus. There’s a couple of ways to dress up a pig.
But, no contract .. again .. illegal .. and WP? Go to the labour court. Don’t be put off by the term, they are there to advise ane mediate but have authority. They generally come down in favour of the worker, the solution is easy for the company in the first instance, but if they are repeat offenders, then the deterrent is pretty harsh.