GGRAsia – Cambodia casino staff ask govt for financial help: report

Cambodia casino staff ask govt for financial help: report

Jun 18, 2020 Newsdesk Latest News, Rest of Asia, Top of the deck

A group in Cambodia representing casino workers is petitioning the government to include them in an economic-stimulus programme, as entertainment venues in the country remain closed as part of efforts to stem the further spread of Covid-19. The programme, which already covers staff in some other sectors, is said to provide a payment of US$40 per month to workers that have been affected by the closures, reported the CamboJA News.

According to the media outlet, the petition was submitted to the Ministry of Labour and Vocational Training by a union representing workers from the NagaWorld casino complex. The property is run by Hong Kong-listed NagaCorp Ltd.

The Cambodian authorities have ordered all casinos in the country to shut down temporarily with effect from April 1, as part of a number of measures to prevent the spread of the novel coronavirus responsible for the Covid-19 infection. The closure of such venues is ongoing, according to several casino operators in that country.

The Cambodian government has allotted US$100 million to a social-support programme, covering workers in the informal economy and employees of factories or businesses that have shut down amid the pandemic. Workers from the entertainment industry – including casinos – are however not covered by the subsidy programme, noted the workers’ union.

CamboJA News quoted Chhim Sithar, president of the union, as saying she expected the government “to consider” their petition, as the casino resort has not yet been allowed to resume operations. The media outlet also quoted a representative of the ministry confirming having received the document.

According to the news website, a similar petition from workers from other types of entertainment venue had been turned down earlier this week. In declining the request, the government said that it couldn’t extend the programme’s coverage as the relevant budget had already been finalised, added the outlet.