Opposition to Thai Government’s Electric Privatisation

Despite Thailand Prime Minister Thaksin Shinawatra declaring the 6 February election victory of his Thai Rak Thai Party a mandate for the privatisation of electric utility EGAT, ICEM affiliate EGAT-LU will continue to resist. The government went through the motions to conduct a survey among EGAT's 27,000 workers that offered 18 restructuring options with most centring on different forms of privatising the utility. EGAT-LU sent a letter to the Energy Ministry demanding a stop to the survey and again asking that a national referendum be held to keep the power sector as part of the public infrastructure.