"We refer to international standards, but do not translate them into law," Chatumongol told reporters. "One of the issues is large unions - we don't want that - we have company unions," he said, adding there would be more negotiations but that migrant workers should not have more rights than Thai workers.
The world's largest producer of canned tuna and owner of the Chicken of the Sea brand, Thai Union Group Pcl, said in a statement that the move should not affect its products. "The decision will not have a material impact on Thai Union Group's business, as no seafood or pet food products sold into the US from Thailand are currently covered by the GSP," it said.