The Macau Federation of Trade Unions is collecting signatures for a petition urging the government to study the revision of the law and a full smoking ban in casinos. The ceremony to mark the beginning of this event will be held at the Border Gate Square on Friday. Secretary General of the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff Association of Macau Federation of Trade Unions, Choi Kam Fu, said that since 2012 most indoor areas in Macau have introduced smoking bans and since the beginning of this year most entertainment venues have banned smoking as well. Casinos stand out as the exception. Mr. Choi said that despite smoking being prohibited on mass gaming floors since October 6 last year, the result has been far from satisfactory. As a result, casino workers have been subjected to more serious health hazards. “The gaming operators use legal loopholes and allow their employees to be subjected to an environment that is even worse than before the smoking ban was launched. For those who fail the air quality tests, the government doesn’t really carry out any tough punishment. We would like to see a full smoking ban to give all the casino workers a healthy working environment,” said Mr. Choi. Macau’s gaming revenue has suffered seven consecutive months of slump since the second half of last year, with 2014’s gaming revenue falling 2.6 per cent to MOP351.5 billion (US$44 billion). Many gaming analysts attribute the smoking ban as one of the reasons for this fall. But Choi Kam Fu said the smoking ban is not the main reason driving the plunge and he doesn’t see that a full smoking ban would further hurt the gaming market, putting casino workers’ benefits and welfare at risk. “As the representative of the union that works on the frontline said, the customers have been adapting to the new policy (smoking ban on mass floors). The smoking ban is not the main reason for the gaming market adjustment and it shouldn’t be used as an excuse, either. The health of the casino workers should be put as a priority,” said Mr. Choi. The activity will last for about one week and the organiser hopes to reach as many casino workers as possible and plans to collect signatures at various places in Macau. They expect to collect at least 10,000 signatures. The final petition will be handed to the government. The launching ceremony of the signature collection is going to be held from 10:00am-5:00pm at Portas do Cerco (Border Gate Square). The union has been collecting signatures around the city, through their branches, as well as on the Internet. Residents can submit their opinions on the union’s official website, Facebook page and through Wechat.
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