Workers, activists, and academics took to the streets of Chiang Mai, Thailand, on May 1 to mark National Labour Day, united behind an urgent call for structural reforms to the country’s social security system.
Marching under the core theme “No Social Security, No Security,” participants assembled in the city center before parading to Chiang Mai’s Railway Park.
Organized by the Northern Labour Network, the event distinguished itself from a traditional protest by blending direct advocacy with cultural activities, creating an inclusive space for both Thai citizens and marginalized migrant workers.
“We organize Labor Day parades every year. I think this makes the labor network Labor Day quite unique compared to the rest of the country,” said Sek Suphalak Bumroongkit, Secretary General of the Northern Labour Network.
“It’s a day that everyone, including the migrant workers, can gather together, have fun, and demand things that work for themselves… I’m trying to make this a platform for the people who want to see the world more equal and want to see the world better.”
A vulnerable safety net
Amidst the cultural displays, participants voiced deepening concerns over rising living costs, economic instability, and glaring weaknesses in Thailand’s social security system, which organizers described as the country’s last crucial safety net.
A significant contingent of the demonstrators included Burmese migrant worker groups, who marched to submit targeted demands regarding their systematic exclusion from healthcare and financial protections.
“Depending on the type of work migrant laborers do—for example, in agriculture, domestic work, or construction—we are advocating and demanding that they be included in the social security system,” explained Thong Kham, a representative from the MAP Foundation that works with Myanmar migrant communities living in Thailand.
Kham highlighted that many employers illegally fail to enroll their migrant staff in the Social Security Fund, leaving them severely exposed.
“Health is a critically important issue for our migrant workers,” Thong Kham added. “If health fails, medical costs are high and unaffordable for laborers. That is why we want everyone to be covered under Social Security.”
The May Day event on May 1 remained open to the public throughout the day, encouraging bystanders to join the procession, share their perspectives, and stand in broader solidarity with the global workforce.
