Cabinet approves draft laws for Labor Court criminal jurisdiction

Matichon•Politics•1d ago

Reader Briefing

The Cabinet has approved two draft laws enabling the Labor Court to adjudicate criminal cases related to 11 labor laws.

•The Cabinet approved two draft laws on August 25 at Government House.
•The Labor Court will now be able to handle criminal cases under 11 specific labor-related laws.
•Human trafficking cases are explicitly excluded from the Labor Court's jurisdiction.
•The amendment aims to provide faster, more appropriate, and fairer legal proceedings by utilizing specialized judges.

•On August 25, Lalida Phroetwiwattana announced the Cabinet's approval of two draft laws at Government House.
•The Cabinet approved the Draft Establishment of Labor Court and Labor Procedure Act and the Draft Human Trafficking Procedure Act.
•The amendment allows the Labor Court to handle both civil and criminal aspects of the same labor dispute to reduce the burden of separate proceedings.
•The new jurisdiction covers 11 labor laws, including those regarding labor protection, social security, and maritime labor.
•The Labor Court will not have jurisdiction over cases falling under the Youth and Family Court or cases involving human trafficking.
•Lalida Phroetwiwattana stated that human trafficking cases remain under general criminal courts due to their severity and high penalties.
•Criminal cases currently under consideration before the new law takes effect will remain with the original courts until final judgment.
•Both draft acts will now enter the legislative process for further consideration.

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Lalida Phroetwiwattana

"The essence of this legal amendment is to allow criminal cases arising from labor laws to enter a court with labor expertise directly."

สาระสำคัญของการแก้กฎหมายครั้งนี้ คือทำให้คดีอาญาที่เกิดจากกฎหมายแรงงานสามารถเข้าสู่ศาลที่มีความเชี่ยวชาญด้านแรงงานได้โดยตรง

Lalida Phroetwiwattana(ลลิดา เพริศวิวัฒนา)

Deputy Spokesperson for the Prime Minister's Office.

Cabinet(คณะรัฐมนตรี)

The body that approved the two draft laws regarding labor and human trafficking procedures.

Office of the Council of State(สำนักงานคณะกรรมการกฤษฎีกา)ℹ️

The organization that reviewed the draft acts before Cabinet approval.

Labor Court(ศาลแรงงาน)

The court granted authority to adjudicate criminal cases under 11 labor-related laws.

Court of Appeal for Specialized Cases(ศาลอุทธรณ์คดีชำนัญพิเศษ)

The court where appeals against Labor Court criminal judgments or orders will be filed.

Youth and Family Court(ศาลเยาวชนและครอบครัว)

A court whose jurisdiction is excluded from the Labor Court's new authority.

Government House(ทำเนียบรัฐบาล)ℹ️

The location where the Cabinet meeting took place on August 25.

Draft Establishment of Labor Court and Labor Procedure Act(ร่างพระราชบัญญัติจัดตั้งศาลแรงงานและวิธีพิจารณาคดีแรงงาน)

A draft law approved by the Cabinet to allow the Labor Court to hear criminal cases.

Draft Human Trafficking Procedure Act(ร่างพระราชบัญญัติวิธีพิจารณาคดีค้ามนุษย์)

A draft law approved by the Cabinet to ensure human trafficking cases remain outside the Labor Court's jurisdiction.

Human Trafficking Procedure Act 2016(พระราชบัญญัติวิธีพิจารณาคดีค้ามนุษย์ พ.ศ. 2559)

The existing law being amended to prevent the Labor Court from accepting human trafficking charges.