AL Plenary | Gaming workers blacklist occupies lawmakers’ attention

Paulo Martins Chan (second from left) of the DICJ and Wong Chi Hong (second from right) of the DSAL

In a Legislative Assembly (AL) session solely dedicated to hearing the replies from the government on several matters raised by lawmakers, a gaming industry blacklist became the focus of discussion.

The blacklist, shared among gaming concessionaires, allegedly includes names and data of gaming industry workers that for one reason or another had issues with their employers and eventually quit their jobs or were fired.

The matter, raised initially by lawmaker Leong Sun Iok, was then widely debated with several other lawmakers intervening on the topic.

In his spoken enquiry, Leong was questioning the government on the questionable legality of the blacklist. He accused the gaming concessionaires of using such a list to put pressure and fear on their workers, threatening to blacklist their names and jeopardize their chances of ever getting another job in the industry.

From the government side, the reply came from the Labor Affairs Bureau (DSAL) director, Wong Chi Hong, who as on previous occasions denied the existence of such a blacklist.

“All residents have the same rights under the Labor Law,” he said, adding, “all data collected [by employers] should be done according to the Personal Data Protection Act and its transference [to other entities] needs to be done with the consent of the interested [parties].”

The DSAL director further remarked that both the DSAL and the Gaming Inspection, and Coordination Bureau (DICJ) have not received any complaints about this alleged list since 2015.

Wong also said, “if a candidate thinks he did not got a job because he had been included in such a list, he can [file a] complaint to DICJ or to DSAL.” Refusal to hire a worker because they are included on a blacklist would constitute an administrative infraction “punishable with a fine ranging from MOP20,000 to 50,000 per worker involved.”

The bureau director also noted that the DSAL received only nine complaints on this matter between 2009 and 2015.

Not pleased with the reply, Leong hit back saying, “we know that the government insists to say that such a list does not exist but we all understand already if it exists or not, according to the cases we receive [from citizens].” Leong called on the government to assume a different approach and publish some kind of “guidelines” for the concessionaires to avoid what he called “the continuing of the abuse.”

“The blacklist has existed for a long time and many workers already had to deal with this,” added lawmaker Au Kam San on the topic. “Some concessionaires even demand that their workers quit from the job instead of being fired, in a way to be able to find another job in the industry.”

Au also added that the DSAL investigation is only asking employers whether such a blacklist exists. When they deny its existence, the DSAL archives the cases on the grounds of lack of evidence.

Lawmaker Ella Lei was in agreement with Au, adding that most of the cases are related to absence from work or arriving late. “It’s because of the existence of such a list that the workers are afraid of reporting such cases,” she said, adding, “the government can’t determine the truth and the workers do not trust the law.”

In reply to the accusations, the deputy director of DSAL, Ng Wai Han, noted that the bureau, “hears both parties as well as witnesses and analyzes, when possible, documental proof.”

“The employer has to issue a certificate to state the reasons why the employee was dismissed,” she said.

Another of the topics that gathered the attention of several lawmakers during yesterday’s session concerned the government’s promotion of the “Year of Gastronomy” and its relation with the city and its old and traditional restaurants. Two spoken enquiries instigated the discussion; the first from Chui Sai Peng and Ip Sio Kai and the second from Chan Hong.

The government’s reply was delivered by the deputy director of the Macau Government Tourism Office (MGTO), Cheng Wai Tong, who noted that the government has invested a lot of money and other resources to promote the Year of Gastronomy. With reference to the old shops, Cheng said that the Macau Economic Bureau and the Macao Foundation had created several support funds with a shared capital of MOP218.9 million.

Cheng also said that the government is creating a “database of Macanese Gastronomy,” which is “one of the priorities of the work plan of the creation of the ‘Gastronomy City’ for the upcoming four years.”

According to the official, preparatory works on the topic were discussed during a March 15 meeting of a group composed of representatives of the Cultural Affairs Bureau, the Institute for Tourism Studies, the MGTO and the Macanese Gastronomic Brotherhood.

Government to create body to coordinate works on the Greater Bay

Lao Pun Lap (left)

The government is preparing the creation of a public entity – to be either a public department or a bureau – to coordinate the works related with to the Greater Bay Area. The acknowledgement was made yesterday at the Legislative Assembly (AL) by the coordinator of the government’s Policy Research Office, Lao Pun Lap, while replying to a spoken enquiry from lawmaker Angela Leong.

Leong was addressing the topic noting the difficulties that could arise for the Macau citizens and entrepreneurs to “compete” in the Greater Bay Area, due to a lack of knowledge of the different laws and procedures applied in each region.

In the government’s reply, Lao said that the relevant authorities were preparing the creation of such a “department” and that, at the moment, “preparatory works are being [conducted]. They will be disclosed to the public in a timely manner.”

Not advancing much more on the topic, the coordinator reaffirmed once more – as the Chief Executive had done before during his last visit to the AL – that the final details will depend on the Greater Bay Area plan that “will [also] be revealed soon.”

Agnes Lam, Si Ka Lon, Leong Sun Iok, Ip Sio Kai and Pang Chuan were some of the other lawmakers that sought more details, particularly on the competencies of the new public service, without success.