GGRAsia – Galaxy Ent staff ‘divided’ on special bonus: union

Galaxy Ent staff ‘divided’ on special bonus: union

Feb 05, 2016 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

Macau casino operator Galaxy Entertainment Group Ltd has confirmed to GGRAsia it is giving a payment of MOP2,888 (US$360) to eligible team members. The number of people eligible was not mentioned by the company, but a representative from a local casino labour says the operator’s employees are “divided about the latest cash bonus”.

The latest bonus is separate from a “discretionary bonus” for “all eligible full-time team members at senior manager grade and below” payable on February 5.

Several local labour groups have claimed the system for the latter bonus is unfair, saying it is merit-based, subjective, and that the conditions attached mean some workers might not receive the equivalent of one month’s salary.

“The problem with the discretionary bonus is that it is based on an evaluation system of the employees, which is subjective, as the marks are simply given out by their bosses without any clear standards,” Choi Kam Fu, director general of Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff’s Association, told GGRAsia.

“Also, the employees are unhappy because other [casino] operators give out a full one-month salary’s bonus without any conditions,” added the association’s Mr Choi.

The body is an affiliate of the Macau Federation of Trade Unions.

Mr Choi said that while the MOP2,888 payment was welcomed by those on the lower pay grades, not everyone was happy.

“The workers with lower salaries accept this latest arrangement as this gift bonus plus the discretionary bonus has amounted to about their one-month salary, but the ones with higher salaries are still disappointed,” he stated.

He added: “For example, there is still a gap of several thousand [patacas] between these two bonuses and a one-month salary of casino croupiers, which earn about MOP16,000 to MOP17,000 a month.”

Galaxy Entertainment will also make an additional “special bonus award” – equivalent to one month of salary – in July, to “all eligible full-time team members at senior manager grade and below in accordance to the scheme rules”.