According to IAG sources, the Macau Gaming Inspection and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) has late this evening (Thursday) ordered that only 10% of the employees of each of Macau’s six casino concessionaires can continue to work from Friday 1 July, with the remaining 90% ordered home.
An IAG source familiar with the matter said, “The DICJ suddenly ordered the six concessionaires to reduce the number of employees to 10% for the period 1 July to 8 July and asked that the remaining 90% of employees go on leave.”
The source also revealed that “the DICJ asked that each company submit a list of employees not working to ensure that 90% of the employees are on leave and not present at their place of work.”
In the past hour (around 11pm Thursday night), IAG has asked several employees of concessionaires regarding the matter, and every one of them has confirmed it.
It remains unclear how the concessionaires can possibly implement the DICJ order other than sending employees home while continuing to pay them, given that under Macau labor law employees cannot be forced to take leave. Throughout the pandemic a substantial proportion of concessionaire employees have shown a consistent unwillingness to take leave.
IAG understands some concessionaires are asking employees to take unpaid leave from 1 July to 8 July and others are calling for half-pay leave, while at least one concessionaire has launched a “special home leave program” with a “7+1” rule – meaning that if an employee takes seven days of annual leave they will receive one additional day of paid annual leave.
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