The Court of Appeals in the Philippines has ordered Melco Resorts Leisure Corp. to compensate staff at its City of Dreams Manila who were made redundant during the Covid-19 pandemic.
Some 26 employees raised a case with the court over their departure from the property in 2020. They were let go as part of a redundancy program implemented at the height of the pandemic, Inquirer.net reported.
The court ruled that while the Melco redundancy program was valid, it failed to comply with the procedural due process. This includes serving written notice to certain staff at least 30 days before they were let go.
With this, the court ordered Melco to pay each of its former employees PHP30,000 ($526) to settle the case. However, the court also said that the impacted workers were not entitled to reinstatement, backpay or other money claims.
City of Dreams Manila is located in Entertainment City in Paranaque, a key integrated resort development in the Philippines.
Manila Bay Casino Project Changes Hands
The ruling follows another major announcement out of Manila. Earlier in September, it was revealed that Travellers International Hotel will take over the development of the $1.3 billion Westside City casino resort in Manila.
Travellers reached a “strategic working agreement” with partner Suntrust Resort over the project amid delays. Westside City was due to open in December 2025, but construction delays have pushed it back until Q3 2026.
Once open, Westside City will become the fourth casino in Manila’s Entertainment City.
