Most Macau casino workers will be willing to accept the situation that mandated the closure of urban game venues for a week to prevent community transmission of COVID-19, game labor activists Stephen Lao Cowong and Chloe Chao said in comments to GGRASIA.
Many employers now offer what is called a “7+1 vacation” locally. Under these arrangements, casino employees who take seven days off, whether paid or unpaid, are generally eligible for one extra day of paid leave. 경마사이트
Some plans were already being used in an opt-in manner, with efforts reported 10 days ago to reduce the community transmission of COVID-19. Previously, employees were offered some vacation incentives in mainland China and Macau amid the suspension nature of tourism demand related to the COVID-19 alert.
“I think many workers can accept these incentives in the current situation,” said Chao, who leads the labor organization New Macau Game Employees’ Rights Association. Lao, who leads the power of another gaming labor organization, the Macau Game Association, said he received similar feedback from casino workers members.
Mr. Rao added that another option available to some casino workers is to help at the employer’s on-site nucleic acid testing (NAT) station, or at “security work” or hotel services.
Still, the two workers’ representatives said many members of each worker’s group were anxious about what would happen at the end of the announced shutdown period, and further formal measures to counter COVID-19 could cast doubt on the casino operator’s current employee pay window and the sustainability of vacation plans.
“Most casino workers don’t have many complaints about special stay-at-home incentives,” Rao said.
But he said, “Many people fear that their current rights will one day be diminished as employers constantly burn cash. They fear these rights will disappear if game companies secure their new concessions, and may be able to rethink what happened in 2008 when many layoffs and various labor problems surfaced,” he added
He first mentioned recent quarterly trends in which operators post negative earnings before interest, taxation, depreciation and amortization, while the second cited new tendering procedures for gaming rights, which run for 10 years since December this year. The process is likely to begin soon, according to comments from investment analysts dealing with the Macau industry. Thirdly, Mr Rao referred to the 2008 global financial crisis and had a knock-on impact on the Macau casino sector.