Macau casino workers report being forced to resign

Dealers at a satellite casino have reported being forced to resign amid the ongoing Covid-19 pandemic.

Macau.- While casino operators in Macau have offered staff bonuses for the past year, a dozen dealers working at an unnamed satellite casino have reported that they were being forced to resign.

The situation was revealed by the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association which has forwarded to the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) requests for assistance it received from more than a dozen dealers working at the same satellite casino. They reported their employers were forcing them to resign.

Satellite casinos rely on the gaming permit of one of Macau’s six licensed casino operators but are under the management of a third party.

The Staff Rights Association said: “According to reports, the company frequently-issued warning letters based on some minor and common mistakes made by employees in daily work on-site, and some even more absurdly received notifications from the company’s human resources department that employees had asked for personal leave and sick leave for more than 45 days last year”.

The workers reported that the unnamed company then asked them to file for automatic resignation, warning that if they didn’t, they would receive a letter of dismissal from the company a week later.

Casino employees have faced an employment crisis due to the impact of the pandemic on Macau’s economy. The issue of securing employment under this situation was a “major test” for DSAL, according to the Association.

It noted that despite the crisis, there had been no layoffs or salary reductions from the six major gaming concessionaires.

As of November, 2020 the general unemployment rate in Macau is at 2.9 per cent, having been as low as 1.7 per cent in 2019 prior to the pandemic. The unemployment rate for local residents stands at at 4 per cent and the underemployment rate at 5.4 per cent.

the Association said: “Employees can still get a certain income, reducing the impact of employees on their livelihoods.

“In particular, the recent announcements by gambling companies that they will issue bonuses, living bonuses or assistance to employees before the Lunar New Year is even more gratifying.”