In Macau, a group that represents local casino workers has reportedly announced that it has presented a petition to the city’s Chief Executive asking that he pressure Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited into paying a ‘summer bonus’ to its employees.

Petition seeks comparable reward:

According to a report from GGRAsia, the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association explained that it handed its appeal to Fernando Chui Sai On yesterday after organizing a pair of successive strikes earlier this month.

The group reportedly stated that its request for a ‘summer bonus’ is in accordance with the practices of several of the city’s other casino operators including Wynn Macau Limited, which revealed early last month that it will be offering workers a ‘special bonus’ set to be equal to one month’s salary.

GGRAsia moreover detailed that the Sands China Limited subsidiary of Las Vegas Sands Corporation as well as local rival MGM China Holdings Limited have also recently awarded their employees with similar one-off windfalls.

Previous appeal paid off:

The media outlet reported that the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association was additionally behind an analogous petition last month that resulted in casino operator, Galaxy Entertainment Group Limited, agreeing to hand out a ‘one-off special discretionary bonus’ to 97% of its non-management employees including dealers and senior managers.

Request about more than money:

The labor group declared that its petition moreover asks that Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited base it employer contribution to Macau’s provident fund scheme on its workers’ ‘full’ salary in addition to agreeing to make ‘occupational health and safety’ improvements.

Operator claims to have ‘responded positively’:

Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited is responsible for the Altira Macau, Studio City Macau and City of Dreams Macau integrated casino resorts as well as the Mocha Clubs chain of electronic gaming machine parlors. It reportedly told GGRAsia that it had ‘responded positively’ to the payment of such an employee bonus during a Friday meeting with representatives from the Macau Gaming Enterprises Staff’s Association and the Macau Federation of Trade Unions.

Labor group disagrees with assessment:

However, the New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association disagreed with this assessment by telling GGRAsia that Melco Resorts and Entertainment Limited had not given ‘any positive feedback to the employees.’

It proclaimed that the casino operator majority owned by Hong Kong-listed Melco International Development Limited had instead chosen to only disclose information ‘through certain community and media groups.’

New Macau Gaming Staff Rights Association to GGRAsia…

“The company says it is discussing with the government how to distribute the bonus [but] how can this discussion last for over six months without any results.”