Disgruntled dealers used the busy Golden Week holiday to call attention to their demands for better pay and benefits by staging mass sick-outs at MGM Macau and at casinos operated by SJM Holdings and Galaxy Entertainment Group.
In the latest display of growing labor unrest in the Chinese casino hub, up to 800 croupiers participated in the job action, which began Friday at noon and included sick leaves and working to rule, said Cloee Chao, secretary-general of the union Forefront of Macau Gaming.
The protests continued into Saturday with similar slowdowns and additional sick-outs, according to news reports.
Casino workers have held at least eight public protests this year to call attention to management policies and pay scales they consider unfair and inadequate. Union leaders also have met with government officials to voice their complaints.
Last month, about 1,000 SJM dealers, most at the company’s flagship, Grand Lisboa, showed up late for shifts and refused to work overtime in a bid to bring management to the bargaining table.
Labor leaders had threatened to strike Grand Lisboa during Golden Week, which began 1st October, China’s National Day, and concludes today. The walk-out didn’t happen, but it got the attention of the authorities. Five union leaders, including Ms Chao, later were summoned for questioning by police and subsequently charged with “aggravated disobedience” in connection with an August protest march that reportedly drew more than 1,000 dealers and other front-line workers.
