Macau’s casinos are slowly recovering from the effects of Typhoon Hato which was the worst typhoon to hit the gaming hub in 53 years. The typhoon hit Macau on August 23 and caused tremendous damage to property, disrupted daily activities and resulted in the deaths of 10 people. Galaxy Entertainment Group, one of the six major casino operators in Macau also suffered due to Typhoon Hato as some of its properties were damaged and casino operations were also affected due to limited power supply.
Just as things are slowly returning to normal in Macau, Galaxy Entertainment has been confronted with yet another problem. More than 100 casino employees belonging to the Galaxy Entertainment Group decided to protest on 5^th September outside the company’s flagship resort – Galaxy Macau which is located in the Cotai district. The employees were backed by the labor group ‘Professional for Gaming of New Macau’ who protested against unhappy working conditions in Galaxy Entertainment properties and also raised complaints over the manner in which they were treated during Typhoon Hato.
Galaxy Entertainment Workers – Complaints
Professional for Gaming of New Macau stated that more than 300 Galaxy Entertainment employees had complained over unfair working practices and an unhappy environment. There was no official confirmation from Macau Police or Galaxy Entertainment regarding the exact number of workers protesting. There are reports that the casino workers had approached the Macau’s Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) and complained about the treatment they received during Typhoon Hato. The complaints raised by the casino employees are over the lack of rest time and not being paid for overtime.
They allege that after they complained, Galaxy Entertainment tried to pacify them by announcing a new ‘pay it forward’ scheme regarding their annual discretionary bonus which is basically the payment of an additional month or a 13^th month salary payment which is the norm in China. The workers are not happy with the ‘pay it forward’ scheme stating that the 13^th month bonus was already part of their package and Galaxy Entertainment had advanced the payment to appease the workers and get them to keep their mouths shut.
Galaxy Entertainment Workers Make Six Demands
Casino workers have raised six issues that they want Galaxy Entertainment to address and fix. The first demand is that apart from the 13^th month bonus, Galaxy Entertainment must pay its workers an additional month’s wages or a 14^th month salary payment as a discretionary annual bonus. The second demand is the cancellation of an internal rating system for the staff and the third demand is to stop the practice of having on duty baccarat dealers continue to deal hands even when there is no one present at the table.
The fourth demand raised by the employees is to drop the present warning letter procedure; the fifth demand is to provide more clarity into the promotional system followed by the company and the sixth and final demand is to close the Horizon VIP Room which is located at Galaxy Macau. This VIP room is located upstairs from the main gaming floor and is used for premium mass gamblers. A portion of this room is permitted to allow players to smoke freely which is still legal based on the current law in Macau. Casino employees have complained that players are smoking even in the non-smoking part of the VIP room and as a result want the room closed for good.
Galaxy Entertainment Given One Week To Respond
The Professional for Gaming of New Macau handed over their list of complaints to Galaxy Entertainment and have given the company a week to respond. Cloee Chao, president of the Professional for Gaming of New Macau said that if Galaxy Entertainment does not respond to their demands within a week’s time, they will organize another protest, this time outside the StarWorld Hotel and would block the entrance that the staff is supposed to use.
Galaxy Entertainment has claimed that the protests have been organized by individuals who are not employees of Galaxy Entertainment and would therefore not respond over the protests. However the company took the time to point out that it was always willing to listen to its employees and would be open to hearing reasonable suggestions and making necessary changes.