Section 583 — Summary dismissal for serious misconduct
Statutory text (Thai original)
ถ้าลูกจ้างจงใจขัดคำสั่งของนายจ้างอันชอบด้วยกฎหมายก็ดี หรือละเลยไม่นำพาต่อคำสั่งเช่นว่านั้นเป็นอาจิณก็ดี ละทิ้งการงานไปเสียก็ดี กระทำความผิดอย่างร้ายแรงก็ดี หรือทำประการอื่นอันไม่สมแก่การปฏิบัติหน้าที่ของตนให้ลุล่วงไปโดยถูกต้องและสุจริตก็ดี ท่านว่านายจ้างจะไล่ออกโดยมิพักต้องบอกกล่าวล่วงหน้าหรือให้สินไหมทดแทนก็ได้
Verbatim from the Royal Gazette / Office of the Council of State
English translation
If the employee willfully disobeys or habitually neglects the lawful commands of his employer, absents himself for services, is guilty of gross misconduct, or otherwise acts in a manner incompatible with the due and faithful discharge of his duty, he may be dismissed by the employer without notice or compensation.
This English translation is provided for reference only and has not yet been firm-verified — always rely on the Thai original.
Firm annotation
Section 583 is part of Book 3 (Specific Contracts) of the Thai Civil and Commercial Code. This entry is awaiting firm-authored commentary; the statutory text above is verbatim from the Office of the Council of State (OCS Krisdika) Thai source, with the English translation from the FAO/UN FAOLEX repository. Always rely on the Thai original for legal proceedings.
Why this matters in practice
For lawyers: Section 583 and Section 119(4) of the Labour Protection Act operate in parallel; neither requires that the work rules expressly label an act 'serious' — the court looks at the actual circumstances. For laypersons: an employee who steals, defrauds, or persistently defies the employer's lawful orders may be dismissed on the spot with no pay in lieu of notice.
Legislative history
Part of the original Civil and Commercial Code codification; no major subsequent amendment.
Supreme Court decisions interpreting this section
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 16310/2557 (2014)
Dishonest exploitation of an employment position to divert customer funds constitutes gross misconduct under Section 583, justifying immediate dismissal without notice or compensation.
A sales employee who exploited his position to collect 15,000 baht from a customer into his own account, remitting only 7,800 baht to the employer and retaining the remainder, was found guilty of dishonesty constituting gross misconduct under Section 583, justifying immediate dismissal without compensation.
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Supreme Court Judgment No. 13894/2555 (2012)
The gravity of misconduct is assessed from the actual facts, not from whether the employer's rules expressly designated the act as serious.
Neither Section 583 nor Section 119(4) of the Labour Protection Act requires that the work rules explicitly label an act as a 'serious offence'; the employer may dismiss without notice if the actual conduct amounts to gross misconduct, even if the work rules are silent on its severity.
Curated decisions with case numbers verified against the Supreme Court database. English renderings are the firm's editorial translation for study.