KFC chain grilled over sackings

The vice-chairman of the Labour Relations Committee is threatening action against the local operator of the world's biggest fried chicken restaurant chain for firing three managers who demanded better working conditions and higher staff wages.

Chaisit Sapsomboon said he viewed the action of Yum Restaurant International (Thailand), which operates the KFC restaurant chain, as a violation of human rights.

He would push for his committee, a tripartite body represented by employers, labourers and labour officials, to pass a ruling to such effect as to back a complaint to the firm's parent company in the US.

He would also campaign with labour unions under the committee to boycott KFC products to force Yum Thailand to review the dismissal order.

The three KFC managers were in the middle of setting up a labour union when they were sacked, he said.

The fired employees, Klit Sruang-aranan, Siwaphon Somchit and Aphantree Charoensak, told reporters on Monday they were sacked for supporting 260 other staff members in Bangkok, Samut Prakan and Pathum Thani provinces to sign a petition for the company to improve their working conditions and raise their wages.

"The management claimed it was a violation of the company's code of conduct without stating our offence clearly," Mr Klit said.

Yum Restaurant International (Thailand) yesterday said it was confident in its "tough but right decision" to expel the three KFC restaurant managers as it wants to preserve company culture and the benefits of the majority of employees.

Milind Pant, the company's managing director, said all three employees violated the company's work policies and code of conduct by claiming to be representatives from the company's welfare committee as well as misusing the company's internet account to spread false information to other employees.

"It was a hard decision but it was what we had to do," Mr Pant said.

"We don't want 0.001 percent of the employees to hurt the majority of 99.99 percent who still need to work under our brand's culture."

Yum Restaurant employs about 10,000 people in 325 outlets in Thailand.