The employees of MGM China Holdings’ protested after the company denied their request for a bonus.
Following the MGM China Holding’s employee bonus, which was reportedly equivalent to a month’s salary, workers came together to request that the bonus is increased. They wanted to make it equal to two month’s salary. According to ggrasia.com, the gaming labor activist group organized a protest in Macau and was comprised of 2,000 workers.
The group of ralliers, who passed the MGM Cotai during the march, made their intentions clear. Gaming labor activist group representatives said there are plans to take further action against MGM China if their requests are not met by the date. MGM Cotai is set to open sometime in February. The protesters held a meeting Feb. 6 with the Labor Affairs Bureau in Macau.
While the activist group reports 2,000 workers protested, authorities say it was around 730 people who rallied, according to ggrasia.com. However, several signatures were received, Lei Man Chao, deputy director for Professional Gaming, told tells ggrasia.com. MGM China Holding Limited workers provided a total of 1,600 signatures. The signatures, which were gathered one before the protest, were primarily from those who worked in the “food and beverage, entry-level security, and gaming departments” within the company, Lei told ggrasia.com.
The Cause of the Protest
Aside from the need to receive a larger bonus than MGM China initially offered within its “discretionary bonus,“ workers also expressed another reason for banding together in protest. Lei said in a statement that among the complaints,
“some gaming workers say they have been in the same position for a few years.”
An MGM China spokesperson commented on the matter, saying on ggrasia.com, the company “values its members” and “accept individuals’ rights to express their own views.” He or she added that the company is keeping an open communication line and staying in contact with its workers as the company continues to strive for creating a “positive work environment” for all its employees.
Other Related News
MGM Cotai has finally opened its doors in Macau. The HKD$27 billion casino’s grand opening was Feb. 13, so far, the establishment is off to a great start. Investments in the new MGM addition is already proving to be a great move for the casino giant. The gaming table count within the company is now at 552, the highest count, with an overall 29 percent increase. The total amount of hotel rooms for MGM has now increased as well, bringing the count to 1,972, three times the count before the development of the new casino-hotel.
The casino, which is said to be family-friendly, includes 200 ETGs or electronic table games, 177 gambling tables, and VIP junkets and luxury mansions, which will open later in the second quarter. Cotai, which stands 35 stories, is also comprised of 1,390 rooms, thus making it the most sizable of the three MGM projects developed in the last two years, according to the Las-Vegas Journal Review. The luxury hotel-casino was initially set to open sometime last year.
However, plans were derailed because of natural disaster that caused major damage to the property. MGM then had its sights set on a Jan. 29 opening, but more delays came about because of licensing issues. However, things seemed to have fallen into place perfectly for the establishment. The grand opening was only a few days before the Chinese New Year. which began on Feb. 16. It is reported that Macau typically sees a generous increase in its casino industry during this time of the year.
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