Thailand – women’s groups in solidarity with dismissed fast food union leader

On December 19, 2017 women representatives from 50 organizations in Thailand issued a public statement of collective solidarity with dismissed fast food union leader Apantree Charoensak and submitted it to the management of Yum! Thailand in Bangkok.

Apantree, the former president of the IUF-affiliated Cooks and Servers Workers Union of Thailand which represents rank-and-file workers at fast food restaurants, has twice been victimized for her union activities.  

In 2011, she was dismissed in retaliation for her role in organizing a union and attempting to negotiate a CBA with Yum! Thailand, a major KFC franchisee. She was reinstated at her job later in the year due to the support of union members and IUF affiliates.

On December 1, 2017 she was again dismissed while the union was in the process of negotiating a first collective agreement with Restaurant Development Ltd., the company which has the franchise for 130 of the 586 KFC restaurants in Thailand.