“Top brands compensate garment workers in Thailand after wages expose”, 26 November 2020

… [Dozens] of migrants from Myanmar working at several factories in … Mae Sot were paid less than the daily minimum wage of 310 Thai baht ($10.15).

A group of 26 workers at one of the factories raided last year by officials sued the owner - Kanlayanee Ruengrit - in August for failing to pay the 3.5 million baht owed to them.

Disney, Starbucks and Tesco this week confirmed the workers would receive compensation - either directly or via the brands’ suppliers which sourced from Kanlayanee’s factory.

“The case shows that at the end of the day, brands are not able to deny their responsibility (for workers),” said Suchart Trakoonhutip, a coordinator at MAP Foundation, which has supported the workers and been in discussion with the companies.

Tesco this month sent 736,000 baht to the group of workers, and gave another 1.1 million baht to MAP Foundation…

Starbucks said its local business partner was in the process of paying 600,000 baht to the workers… Disney … committed to giving the same amount in compensation.

Comcast Corp’s NBCUniversal, which owns Universal Studios, said its supplier - Pong InTouch - must support the workers or face termination. Pong InTouch declined to comment.

Ilona Kelly, a coordinator at the Clean Clothes Campaign (CCC) - a global pressure group - said the money was “life-changing” for the workers but that their struggle for compensation could have been resolved last year.

One of the workers said his share of the settlement from Kanlayanee - 28,000 baht - was not enough to clear the loans he had taken out due to being unemployed and unable to find a job.