Smoking ban, other issues at the fore
Under Macau law, residents of the Chinese territory are free to organize and join trade unions. But without powers of collective bargaining and the ability to strike, those groups are essentially toothless. Now seven groups that represent casino workers in Macau are lobbying for a law that would give them the right to bargain with management, according to GGRAsia.
The seven associations held a joint meeting last month organized by the Power of the Macao Gaming Association, which was formed last December. Legislator José Pereira Coutinho, the association’s honorary president, said workers want a promised full smoking ban to take effect, though it will almost certainly further deepen the decline in casino patronage in Macau.
“The seven associations have unanimously shown their support to the proposal banning smoking inside casinos, including the removal of smoking lounges,” Pereira Coutinho told GGRAsia.
Arguing the other position is the Association of Gaming and Entertainment Promoters, which represents junket operators in Macau. The organization cited a recent industry survey that shows respondents were overwhelmingly in favor of retaining smoking rooms in casinos, according to the Asia Gaming Brief. The survey found that 99 percent of more than 12,500 respondents favored the rooms and believed that a universal ban would further harm revenue and employment. Association President Kwok Chi Chung said 90 percent of gamblers smoke.
Pereira Coutinho said workers want casino operators “to be more reasonable in issuing warning letters” about minor mistakes on the job, and they also want additional compensation for those working nights and doing shift work.
Above all, he said, the associations want a formal union with all the attendant powers.
“It’s important to introduce the trade union law and the right to collective bargaining to make sure that workers have the right tools to negotiate with their employers,” he said. Pereira Coutinho has repeatedly submitted a trade union bill to the city’s Legislative Assembly without success. Legislators have vetoed the proposal for five times.
At the same time, junket operator Golden Group has cuts worker benefits to reflect the current “hard times,” the company has announced. In an internal memo, Golden management informed its staff that it has cancelled workers’ monthly bonuses and free transportation to ensure the company can “continue its operation effectively.”
“We hope all the staff can be united together to get through these hard times with the company. If the business of the company stabilizes, the benefits will be adjusted,” the notice said.
More than 50 junket workers also have been laid off, according to reports.
