8.2.2 Employment practice unions
Metric: Employment practice
Recognise unions and labour rights (freedom of association and collective bargaining) for all, including women and international staff.
Prince of Songkla University recognises the importance of employee representation and participation in matters affecting employment conditions, welfare, benefits, remuneration, and personnel administration.
PSU provides formal employee representation through two main bodies:
the Faculty Senate, representing academic staff; and
the University Staff Council, representing professional, administrative, and support staff.
These bodies provide formal channels for employees to raise concerns, submit proposals, exchange views, and participate in consultation with University management on staff rights, welfare, benefits, remuneration, and personnel matters.
Faculty Senate: Staff Welfare and Remuneration Consultation
In 2025, the Faculty Senate actively participated in discussions concerning employee welfare and remuneration.
At the PSU Hat Yai Campus Welfare Subcommittee meeting, staff welfare satisfaction across the University’s five campuses was reviewed. Employee feedback included requests for improved welfare provisions. The committee also reviewed the existing death-related welfare benefit of THB 20,000 and proposed increasing it to approximately THB 28,000–33,000 to better reflect current living costs.
The Faculty Senate also discussed employment-related policy issues, including the relationship between competency assessment and salary progression. Representatives proposed that competency assessment should not be directly tied to salary increases or TOR evaluation and recommended reviewing starting salaries and compensation for newly appointed academic staff to improve motivation and attract high-quality personnel.
Figure 1. Key staff welfare issues and proposed benefit improvements discussed by the PSU Hat Yai Campus Welfare Subcommittee in 2025, including employee welfare satisfaction and a proposal to increase death-related welfare benefits in response to current living costs.
Staff Council: Awareness of Employee Rights and Welfare
The University Staff Council also plays an active role in supporting employees’ understanding of their rights, benefits, and welfare provisions.
On 4 April 2025, the PSU Surat Thani Campus Staff Council organised a knowledge-management programme entitled “PSU Surat Thani Employee Welfare: Easy to Understand, Practical to Use.” The programme provided staff with information on University welfare benefits and funds and promoted better understanding of their employment-related entitlements.
The activity also provided an opportunity for employees and University management to exchange experiences, discuss concerns, and submit suggestions for improving welfare provisions so that they better respond to staff needs.
Figure 2. PSU Surat Thani Campus Staff Council’s 2025 knowledge-management programme on employee welfare and benefits, providing staff with information on their rights and opportunities to exchange views and suggest improvements to welfare provisions.
Inclusive Employee Participation
Both the Faculty Senate and Staff Council provide mechanisms for employees from different staff groups to participate in consultation and representation. Their activities demonstrate that PSU has established formal channels through which employees can raise concerns, contribute to discussions, and propose improvements relating to staff welfare, remuneration, and employment conditions.
These representative mechanisms support PSU’s commitment to fair employment practices, employee participation, and respect for labour rights.