Question 1

How is severance pay calculated according to length of service?

Accepted Answer

Under Labour Protection Act section 118, service of 120 days to under 1 year earns 30 days' pay, 1 to under 3 years earns 90 days, 3 to under 6 years earns 180 days, 6 to under 10 years earns 240 days, 10 to under 20 years earns 300 days, and 20 years or more earns 400 days, all based on the last wage rate. The employer must pay on the day of dismissal itself; if unpaid, the employee can immediately file a complaint with a labour inspector.

Question 2

How does advance-notice pay differ from severance pay?

Accepted Answer

Advance-notice pay under Civil and Commercial Code section 582 applies to indefinite-term contracts when the employer dismisses without giving a full pay period's notice, and equals the wages for the shortfall period. Statutory severance under the Labour Protection Act is a separate right calculated purely from length of service. An employee dismissed abruptly without serious cause is entitled to both simultaneously; an employer who pays only one has not fully discharged the legal obligation.

Question 3

What does section 49 of the Labour Court Establishment Act mean by unfair dismissal?

Accepted Answer

Section 49 lets the Labour Court examine whether a dismissal had a reasonable ground, separate from whether the correct procedure was followed. Even an employer who paid full statutory severance can still face an unfair-dismissal claim if the true reason was improper — dismissing because an employee is pregnant, reported misconduct, or is nearing retirement to avoid a larger payout. The court may order reinstatement or additional compensation beyond statutory severance, weighing tenure, position, and the actual hardship suffered.

Question 4

Is it true that dismissal for dishonesty in duty exempts the employer from severance pay?

Accepted Answer

This is true only where the case fits section 119's exceptions — dishonesty in duty, an intentional criminal act against the employer, deliberately causing loss, or a serious rule breach after a prior written warning. The employer must state the ground clearly and accurately in the dismissal letter. If that ground cannot later be proven in court, the exception fails and the employer must pay full severance plus back interest. A bare accusation without a properly documented investigation carries substantial risk for the employer.

Question 5

Does being pressured into resigning count as a dismissal?

Accepted Answer

Where there is evidence the employer threatened, pressured, or engineered conditions forcing an employee to submit a resignation letter, the Labour Court may treat this as a constructive dismissal, giving the same right to severance as an outright firing. Key evidence includes chats or emails showing coercion, witnessed meeting notes, or an unusual downgrading of job conditions shortly before the resignation. Anyone facing this should avoid signing a resignation immediately and seek legal advice first, since proving coercion after signing is far harder.

Question 6

What rights does a probationary employee have if terminated?

Accepted Answer

A probationary employee who has completed 120 days or more is entitled to severance based on tenure just like a permanent staff member if dismissed without serious cause, even without having passed a review. Under 120 days, statutory severance does not apply, but notice pay under the Civil and Commercial Code still applies if the contract is indefinite-term and full notice was not given. An employer who cites only a failed probation, with no documented performance review behind it, can still face an unfair-dismissal claim.

Question 7

What is owed if a fixed-term contract is terminated before it expires?

Accepted Answer

A contract meeting section 118 paragraph three's conditions — a genuinely fixed term, a specific project, or seasonal work not exceeding two years — need not pay severance when it expires naturally. But if the employer ends it early without a section 119 ground, this breaches the contract and requires paying the remaining wages through the original end date as damages. If the contract does not fully meet those exception conditions — for instance, repeated renewals resembling continuous employment — a court may still require severance based on total tenure.

Question 8

If the workplace relocates and an employee is unwilling to move, what rights apply?

Accepted Answer

Under section 120, where relocation significantly affects the employee's or family's normal living, the employer must give at least 30 days' notice. An employee unwilling to relocate may terminate within 30 days of the move or of learning about it and receive special severance no less than the ordinary tenure-based rate. Failing to give adequate notice adds a further 30 days' pay in lieu. An employee who considers the relocation order unfair may petition the Labour Welfare Committee within that same window.

Question 9

When a business closes and terminates all staff, what extra is owed beyond ordinary severance?

Accepted Answer

If the closure is not announced at least 60 days in advance as section 121 requires, the employer owes special pay in lieu of notice equal to 60 days' wages, on top of ordinary tenure-based severance. Employees with 6 or more continuous years of service also earn additional special severance for each year beyond 6, at 15 days per year up to a cap of 360 days of the last wage rate. An employer unable to pay in full should propose an instalment plan to the labour inspector to avoid criminal exposure for failing to pay severance on time.

Question 10

Filing with a labour inspector versus suing in the Labour Court — which route is better?

Accepted Answer

Filing with a labour inspector under section 123 costs nothing, and the inspector can order payment within 60 days once the employee's entitlement is confirmed — suited to clear-cut claims like unpaid severance or wages. Suing directly in the Labour Court suits unfair-dismissal issues requiring proof of intent and surrounding circumstances, since the court can award broader remedies including reinstatement. Neither route charges a court fee, and an employee may pursue either or both depending on the case's facts.

Question 11

What is the limitation period for labour claims?

Accepted Answer

The right to claim severance and unpaid wages carries a two-year limitation period from when the right arose, under the Civil and Commercial Code's rules on wage debts. Unfair-dismissal claims under section 49 have no rigid statutory limitation, but courts in practice follow a similar one-to-two-year window from the dismissal date, both to avoid time-bar arguments and to preserve evidence while it remains clear. Employees should not delay too long before acting.

Question 12

Which office should a dismissal complaint be filed with?

Accepted Answer

File the complaint with the Provincial or Area Labour Protection and Welfare Office covering the workplace's location; in Bangkok, the relevant Bangkok Labour Protection and Welfare Office area. A Labour Court claim goes to the Regional or Central Labour Court with jurisdiction over the workplace, with no court fee and the option to lodge the claim orally through court staff without a lawyer. For complex cases, consulting a lawyer beforehand to organise evidence ahead of the hearing date is still advisable.

Question 13

Must a written warning always precede a dismissal?

Accepted Answer

Not always. A written warning is required only for dismissal over a non-serious rule breach under section 119(4), which needs a prior written warning followed by a repeat offence within one year of that warning. For serious grounds — dishonesty in duty or an intentional criminal act — no prior warning is needed, since the conduct is inherently serious. An employer who wrongly assumes every case needs a warning first may unnecessarily let a serious repeat offence occur.

Question 14

Can the Labour Court really order reinstatement, and under what conditions?

Accepted Answer

Under section 49, the court can order the employer to reinstate the employee to the former position at the former wage if it finds the dismissal unfair. In practice, though, courts weigh whether trust between the parties can realistically continue; where it clearly cannot, the court orders compensation instead, considering tenure, age, hardship, and the grounds for dismissal together. As a result, reinstatement orders are seen less often in practice than additional compensation awards.

Question 15

Is unused annual leave paid out when an employee is dismissed?

Accepted Answer

Yes, it must be paid. Under section 67, the employer must pay for the annual leave entitlement accrued in the year of termination plus any unused carried-over leave under company policy, regardless of whether the departure is resignation, retirement, or dismissal — even dismissal for dishonesty under section 119, since this is a separate right from severance. The employer must calculate and pay it together with other final-day amounts.

Question 16

Is an employee entitled to a work certificate or a statement of dismissal reasons?

Accepted Answer

An employee may request a work certificate stating position, duration, and job description under Civil and Commercial Code section 585, which the employer must issue on request without refusal or damaging false statements. A dismissal letter clearly stating the reason matters even more for the employer's own protection, since section 17 paragraph three bars the employer from raising any other ground in court later if it was not stated in writing at the time.

Question 17

If a pay cut or demotion forces an employee to quit, is that treated as dismissal?

Accepted Answer

A unilateral pay cut or demotion imposed without the employee's consent and without a legitimate business reason is an adverse change to employment terms that the employer cannot impose alone. If it forces the employee to resign, the Labour Court can treat this as constructive dismissal and grant the same severance entitlement as an actual firing. Employees should keep the pay-cut or demotion notice, any emails announcing the change, and a clear timeline of dates to support a complaint or lawsuit.

Question 18

If an employee resigns with notice but the employer forces them out early, what is owed?

Accepted Answer

If the employer sends the employee off before the date stated in the resignation letter without mutual agreement, this is effectively the employer terminating the remaining notice period, requiring payment of wages through the employee's intended last day and possibly additional notice pay if the shortfall breaches the statutory notice requirement. This alone does not trigger tenure-based severance since the departure is still treated as a resignation, unless it can be shown the employer used the opportunity to disguise an unfair dismissal for other reasons.

Question 19

After signing a release waiving further claims upon receiving payment, can an employee still sue?

Accepted Answer

As a general rule, a release voluntarily signed with full understanding and adequate consideration is binding and forecloses further claims on the matters it covers. But if it can be shown the signature was obtained under duress, deception, or the payment fell clearly and unreasonably short of the statutory entitlement, a court may find the waiver unenforceable to the extent it conflicts with the Labour Protection Act, which is a matter of public order. Employees should always read and seek advice before signing this type of document.

Question 20

Does dismissal entitle a worker to unemployment benefits from Social Security?

Accepted Answer

An employee who has contributed to the Social Security fund for at least 6 months within the 15 months before becoming unemployed, and who was not the one resigning, may claim unemployment benefit for dismissal at 50% of average wages for up to 180 days, provided they register as a jobseeker at an employment office within 30 days of becoming unemployed to preserve the right. Voluntary resignation carries a lower rate and shorter duration. Filing on time within that window is essential to avoid losing the entitlement.

Question 21

If the employer ignores a labour inspector's payment order, what happens next?

Accepted Answer

If the employer fails to comply with the inspector's order within the deadline and does not appeal to the Labour Court, the order becomes final and enforceable like a judgment. The employee can then have the authorities pursue execution against the employer's assets. Non-compliance is also a criminal offence under the Labour Protection Act carrying fines or imprisonment, and the labour inspector can refer the matter to the public prosecutor for criminal proceedings alongside the debt-enforcement process.

Question 22

Can an employer dismiss a pregnant female employee?

Accepted Answer

Under section 43, an employer is absolutely barred from dismissing a female employee because of pregnancy. A violation is a criminal offence carrying fines or imprisonment, and civilly the employee can sue for unfair-dismissal damages almost without needing further proof. The employer may still dismiss for a section 119 ground entirely unrelated to the pregnancy, such as dishonesty in duty, but the burden of proving the ground is unrelated to the pregnancy sits heavily on the employer.

Question 23

For an agency-supplied worker who is dismissed, who bears responsibility?

Accepted Answer

Under section 11/1, the user enterprise that assigns tasks to an agency-supplied worker in the same manner as its own staff is treated as a joint employer under the Labour Protection Act alongside the staffing agency. Upon dismissal, the worker may claim severance and other entitlements from both jointly, not solely from the agency that signed the formal contract. Complaints should therefore name both companies, so neither can deflect liability by pointing to the other.

Question 24

How can unpaid overtime owed before dismissal be recovered?

Accepted Answer

Overtime pay, holiday work pay, and holiday overtime pay are rights under the Labour Protection Act entirely separate from severance, so an employee may claim these on top of severance already received in full. Key evidence includes time-clock records, written overtime instructions or chat messages assigning the work, and past payslips to compare what was paid against what was owed. The employee can file free of charge with the labour inspector covering the workplace's area, and is entitled to 15% annual default interest if the employer fails to pay by the inspector's deadline. The limitation period for this claim is two years from when each instalment fell due.

Question 25

If an employee resigns and the employer claims a debt is owed, can it deduct from the final pay?

Accepted Answer

An employer may not deduct wages, overtime, or other entitlements from an employee at will. Under section 76, deductions are permitted only in cases the law expressly allows — tax, an employee-consented fund contribution, damages the employee agreed in writing to have deducted, or a debt under a court judgment — and each deduction is capped at 10% of that period's payment. If the employer claims property damage or a debt without written consent or a judgment behind it, the employee may refuse the deduction and complain to the labour inspector immediately. An employer genuinely owed a debt must sue separately rather than deduct it unilaterally from wages.

Question 26

If an employer picks certain staff from the same team for layoff with no clear criteria, is that unfair?

Accepted Answer

Although an employer may manage its workforce and reduce headcount for genuine business reasons, singling out particular individuals without fair, consistent criteria — for instance targeting only long-tenured staff to cut future severance costs, or targeting someone who previously raised workplace complaints — can expose the employer to an unfair-dismissal claim under section 49. An employer with a real business reason should set clear, neutral selection criteria such as performance scores, positions being eliminated, or skills no longer needed for the new direction, and keep documentation of that decision-making. An employee who suspects unfair selection should gather comparisons against colleagues in similar roles who were not let go to support a claim.

Question 27

Is it unlawful to dismiss an employee for a chronic illness or disability while still able to work normally?

Accepted Answer

If the employee can still perform duties normally and does not have one of the specific serious contagious diseases listed under Labour Protection Act section 41, a dismissal citing only chronic illness or disability with no real effect on job performance can amount to unfair dismissal under section 49. The Persons with Disabilities' Life Quality Promotion Act separately prohibits unfair discrimination against disabled workers in employment. An employee dismissed on this basis can petition the relevant discrimination-review committee alongside a Labour Court claim. Key evidence includes a medical certificate confirming continued fitness for normal duties and prior performance records showing no effectiveness issues before the dismissal.

Question 28

If dismissed verbally with no written notice, how can the dismissal itself be proven?

Accepted Answer

A verbal dismissal is legally as effective as a written one, but proving it is the challenge. Preserve evidence immediately — chat messages from a supervisor or HR confirming no further attendance is needed, a deactivated staff card or access badge, an email asking for equipment to be returned, or a co-worker who witnessed the instruction. Absent any of that, send the employer a letter promptly stating the date and time of the verbal dismissal, which forces a written reply confirming or denying it — and that reply itself becomes key evidence.

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ราคาโอนระหว่างบริษัทในเครือ เอกสารที่ต้องมีและวิธีตั้งราคา

ไกล่เกลี่ยและทำสัญญาประนีประนอม ทางจบคดีที่เร็วกว่าการสืบพยาน

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ข้อพิพาทผู้ถือหุ้นและกรรมการ แก้ทางไหนได้ก่อนถึงศาล

คดีผู้บริโภค ฟ้องร้านหรือถูกลูกค้าฟ้อง ต้องเตรียมอะไร

ภาษีเงินได้นิติบุคคล ยื่นครึ่งปีและปลายปีให้ไม่ถูกปรับ

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งานเลขานุการบริษัท ทะเบียนกรรมการ ประชุมผู้ถือหุ้น และการนำส่งงบ

อากรแสตมป์ ตราสารที่ต้องติด อัตรา และผลเมื่อไม่ปิดอากร

สินค้าคงเหลือและต้นทุน ตรวจนับสต๊อก วิธีคิดต้นทุน และผลต่างที่อธิบายได้

หนังสือมอบอำนาจ เขียนให้ใช้ได้จริงกับที่ดิน ธนาคาร ศาล และหน่วยราชการ

ปิดงบย้อนหลังและงบค้างส่ง ทำให้กลับมาสะอาดได้อย่างไร