Forefront of Macau Gaming, a labor group that marshaled thousands of protesters last October and again in March to oppose the hiring of non-residents as dealers, recently staged a demonstration outside The Venetian Macau to protest Sands China’s compensation and promotion policies.
The group presented Sands with what it called “reasonable” demands for 10 percent salary increases for table games staff and wants more transparency from the company in how it promotes dealers.
Sands defended its record, countering that while it “regrets” the protest its “salary level and benefits scheme are competitive in the marketplace, and it has a proven track record in career advancement”.
The company recently added a second annual employee bonus equivalent to a month’s pay and gave across-the-board pay increases of 5 percent in March. In addition, the company said all assistant pit managers were recently promoted to pit manager positions, a sore point with the Forefront group and qualified dealers will be promoted to pit supervisors.
With six new megaresorts opening on Cotai over the next three years, employee costs and retention are mentioned by analysts as one of their key concerns in Macau’s scarce labor market, where unemployment runs at less than 2%.
Sands China cited increased staff costs as a factor in second quarter results that missed analysts’ forecasts.
Meanwhile, another group representing mostly pit managers and supervisors from the four Sands casinos have complained to the government about alleged pay inequalities, claiming some less experienced dealers are getting higher salaries than more senior dealers for the same jobs.
The group also wants dealers salaries raised from the current base of MOP19,000 per month (US$2,375) to MOP22,000 and pit supervisors raised from a starting MOP26,000 to no less than MOP33,000.
Forefront wants pay for all pit supervisors and trainees working six-day weeks set equally at MOP29,000 and 26,800, respectively, and those working five days at MOP27,000 and 24,850.
The union also wants a policy for ensuring staff who have worked as trainee supervisors for three years or more are elevated to pit supervisors.
