The event, held at Bang Wad Dam, was presided over by Phuket Vice Governor Suwit Phansengiam and brought together over 900 participants, including government officials, labour union representatives, employer organisations, private sector executives and community groups, said an official report of the event.
Kris Thammaphirakul, President of the Dusit Laguna Phuket Labour Union and Chair of the Labour Day Organising Committee, emphasised the importance of the day in recognising the role of workers as key drivers of the economy.
He noted that this year’s theme, ‘Labourers for Radiation’, aimed to promote unity and well-being among workers through a charity walk-run that raised funds for a radiation therapy building and medical equipment.
At the event, labour representatives also submitted formal demands to the government. Wichien Dasanthat, President of the Phuket Hotel and Service Labour Federation, presented a letter outlining key labour issues including fair wages, job security and health and safety protections.
Additionally, Worachet Kongsen of the Phuket State Enterprise Labour Relations Confederation called on the government to reject the proposed Entertainment Complex Bill, ratify ILO Convention No. 155 on occupational health and safety, combat corruption and support domestic business development.
The highlight of the event was the donation of B150,740 ‒ raised from the Labour Day activities ‒ to Dr Piyanat Sakulpipat, Deputy Director of Medical Affairs at Vachira Phuket Hospital.
The funds will go toward the establishment of the hospital’s Comprehensive Radiation Therapy Center, which will be the first government cancer treatment facility of its kind in the province, said the official report.
The yet-to-built cancer centre has long been touted by government officials as to be the first cancer treatment facility in the six Andaman provinces ‒ Phuket, Phang Nga, Krabi, Ranong, Trang and Satun.
However, it will be only the first government cancer treatment facility in the six provinces, as Bangkok Hospital Phuket opened their cancer treatment centre last year.
Further, the months-long fundraising efforts for the Vachira cancer centre easily exceeded the initial target of B290 million in February. Excess donations are now to pay for the essential medical equipment required ‒ all due to lack of funding by the Royal thai Government’s Ministry of Public Health.
Vachira Phuket Hospital is the main government hospital on the island, and is operated by the Thai Ministry of Public Health.
Regardless, Vice Governor Suwit praised the unity shown by workers and organisers, stating that the collaboration across sectors reflected a shared commitment to social responsibility and public health.
Phuket’s National Labour Day celebration was jointly supported by numerous groups, including labour unions, business associations, local government agencies and charitable foundations, the official report concluded.
Not mentioned in the report is that Phuket’s labour workforce is nearly entirely made of migrant workers from Myanmar, who work for minimum wage and continue to live in the poorest conditions on the island.
According to the Phuket Provincial Employment Office (PPEO) report for April 2025, of the 135,626 foreigners currently issued valid work permits in Phuket, an overwhelming majority are Myanmar migrant workers, with 117,245 work permits issued to them
Of the 56,622 migrant workers legally working in Phuket’s construction industry 56,050 (98.989%) are from Myanmar, the PPEO also reports.
The hard labour is not restricted to the men, While 37,238 legal foreign construction workers in Phuket are Myanmar men, 18,812 are Myanmar women, the PPEO noted.