Citing the local gaming industry law, lawmaker Ron Lam U Tou submitted yesterday a written interpellation with nearly 10 questions to the Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) on a recent case in which several local employees of an integrated resort operator reported that their labour contracts were terminated immediately by their company without prior warning at the end of last month. Lam said he was seeking clarification from the bureau on the meaning of “reasonable grounds” for dismissal, including how the bureau supervises the provision of long-term and stable jobs by enterprises for local employees.
According to Lam, on February 28, several local employees approached him for assistance, reporting that they had suddenly received dismissal notices from their company, with their labour contracts terminated immediately and “without reasonable grounds”. He quoted the fired employees as saying they had worked for the enterprise for about 10 years but were abruptly informed by the management that their contracts were terminated, despite being told by the company they had made no mistakes at work and that their performance was satisfactory.
Referring to the city’s gaming industry law and the new concession agreements signed by the six integrated resort (IR) operators with the government in October 2022, Lam emphasised that the concessionaires must uphold corporate social responsibilities, including ensuring labour rights and interests, as well as providing on-the-job training and opportunities for the upward mobility of local employees. He pointed out the discrepancy between the current ratio of increase in local employees and that of non-local workers (NRWs), noting that as of the end of last year, the number of NRWs among the six IR operators had reached 32,000, an increase of about 1,200 compared to last September. In contrast, when comparing September last year to December 2022, the number of local employees among the IR operators increased by only two percent, while the number of NRWs surged by a staggering 67 percent over the same period.
Lam said: “The local economy has not yet fully recovered…... If employment for local employees at large enterprises such as IRs remains unstable, it could cause irreparable damage to Macau’s overall economy and employment environment,” adding he believes that the job fairs organised by IR operators in conjunction with the Labour Affairs Bureau were just “going through the motions”.
Undated file photo of lawmaker-cum-current affairs commentator Ron Lam U Tou provided by his office, along with his written interpellation.
