The four legislators affiliated with city’s influential Macau Federation of Trade Unions (FTU) have urged the government to specify the terms and conditions in the gaming concession contracts, in order to protect local employment.
Lei Cheng I, Leong Sun Iok, Lam Lon Wai and Lei Chan U called on authorities to require the concessionaires to prioritise hiring locals for different job positions and ensuring upward mobility for local employees, as well as protecting workers’ rights, in accordance with the law as well as improving the employees’ provident fund scheme.
The Gaming Tender Committee announced on Saturday that the current six gaming operators in Macau would retain the new ten-year gaming concessions that will begin in January 2023, while a local unit of global gaming conglomerate Genting Malaysia lost in the bidding process.
The six incumbent gaming companies issued statements welcoming the government’s decision and expressing commitment to the SAR’s future development and economic diversification.
The lawmakers said they hope the concessionaires will be able to facilitate the city’s economic diversification, as well as increase the number of job openings and give employees room to grow, in order to benefit the sustainable development of the economy and fulfil the gaming companies’ social responsibilities.
The four legislators said that the gaming industry is a pillar industry that contributes to the economy and people’s livelihoods as it employs a large share of local employees. They received a lot of inquiries from gaming workers during the tendering process, especially from “satellite casino” workers who are worried about their job security. Although the government stressed that they would ensure employment stability after granting the new concession contracts, authorities are yet to announce any specific solutions to ensure local employment, making employees feel anxious about all this.
Although the current six gaming operators successfully bid for the gaming concession, many gaming workers have been worried that they will be laid off after the new concession contracts come into effect amid the economic downturn and deteriorating employment environment, the legislators noted..Therefore, they are highly concerned about how the government would monitor gaming operators to ensure their employment.
In the third quarter of this year, the number of employees in the gaming industry was 66,400, down by 14,600 jobs as compared to the 81,000 figure from the same period last year. 28.6% of the current job seekers were previously engaged in the gaming industry.
