Galaxy Entertainment becomes the first casino operator in Macau to offer attractive compensation packages of up to 13 months’ wages to employees who choose to resign on a voluntary basis in the latest bid to tackle manpower redundancy in the aftermath of the coronavirus pandemic. This voluntary resignation scheme was first open to floor managers of the gaming department and is now extended to floor supervisors, according to a spokesman of Galaxy.
The voluntary resignation scheme has received positive response from Galaxy employees. Lau Ka Weng, president of a casino workers’ union, revealed that floor managers at Galaxy Entertainment were offered the scheme two weeks ago and about 30 managers had signed up to the scheme; the scheme is now closed to floor managers and is extended to floor supervisors instead. Employees who sign up to the scheme are mostly those nearing retirement age or in need of cash.
The casino workers’ union expects that other casino operators will soon follow the example of Galaxy Entertainment’s voluntary resignation scheme. All six operators have introduced voluntary unpaid leave programs in the wake of falling visitor numbers, but manpower redundancy still remains a problem as the gaming industry is slowly recovering from the pandemic.
Many Galaxy employees interviewed by Allin Media said that the compensation package offered in the voluntary resignation scheme was very attractive indeed as the extra compensation was equivalent to 13 months’ wages on top of other remunerations. According to Macau’s labour relations law, an employee is entitled to a maximum compensation of up to 12 months’ wages if he is dismissed without a legitimate reason.
Galaxy Entertainment’s spokesman noted that the main purpose of the voluntary resignation scheme was to offer another option in career planning for its employees. The firm has also launched the “IR-LEAD” program for its gaming employees to allow them to gain cross-department work experience and increase their competitiveness.
