Macau’s Secretary for Economy and Finance, Francis Tam Pak Yuen (pictured), on Thursday said that the government pays close attention to the needs of casino workers, including when it comes to benefits and career progression. Mr Tam added that the government would support casino staff “when needed”, according to an official press release.
Mr Tam’s comments were made after a local labour group staged a protest on Wednesday outside casino resort Venetian Macao, calling for gaming operator Sands China Ltd to amend its policies on promotion and pay for casino dealers. The police gave a final estimate for the crowd as 900-strong, while the demonstration organisers said about 1,500 took part.
Mr Tam said gaming operators had already improved their human resources practices in recent years, to cope with their own labour needs and the changes in the city’s labour market.
He added that the fact gaming operators in Macau are currently building major new projects on Cotai was an incentive for them to continue improving their recruitment and human resources practices, in order to avoid high employee turnover and vacant positions.
Mr Tam also confirmed that the government’s Labour Affairs Bureau had received some complaints from casino workers regarding their employers. The official said these would be handled accordingly.
