Private contractor demands govt pays 715 million baht in unpaid e-WorkPermit fees
The private contractor running Thailand’s e-WorkPermit system has demanded that the Department of Employment pay 715 million baht it says is owed for more than 10 months of work.
Chairat Saengchan, chief executive of the Future Sky joint venture, said on Friday, 4 September, that the company had filed a lawsuit with the Administrative Court to recover the outstanding payments.
“We have been working for more than 10 months but have not received a single baht in payment,” he said.
Future Sky began processing registrations through the system on 13 October 2025. By August, it had issued approximately 1.6 million cards and remitted around 3.8 billion baht in fees to the department, Chairat said.
He said repeated discussions and requests for payment had failed to resolve the dispute.
e-WorkPermit applications face delays
Chairat also blamed bottlenecks on outdated estimates in the project’s terms of reference, which he said underestimated demand.
The contract requires the company to check application documents within 24 hours or face a 520-baht penalty, equivalent to its payment for issuing one card.
Daily submissions exceeded 10,000 sets of documents and sometimes reached 90,000, requiring additional staff, overtime and round-the-clock operations, he said.
However, some applications subsequently remained in the system for up to four months awaiting approval from government registrars, Chairat said.
Future Sky had proposed additional service points in areas with large migrant worker populations. Chairat said the department had not approved further temporary centres despite repeated proposals.
Unpaid fees put pressure on operations
Chairat said monthly operating costs of approximately 30 million baht, alongside financing costs and interest, were threatening the company’s survival and putting 700 employees at risk.
Management was seeking funds to maintain operations, he said, pledging to continue providing the service while pursuing payment.
The Department of Employment is yet to comment on the issue.