Briefs | 50 workers complain to government about unpaid wages

The Labour Affairs Bureau (DSAL) received complaints on Friday regarding unpaid salaries from a group of 50 local workers consisting of bus drivers, tour guides and salesmen. They accused their employers of owing them salaries since September 2019. They also claimed that they have not been working since the Covid-19 outbreak began two months ago. The whereabouts of their employers are not known either. The group had reported the issue to the DSAL in January but did not receive a response from the bureau. They had also complained to their companies multiple times but did not receive replies.

Non-local healthcare workers may get limited approval to practice

The healthcare professionals’ qualification and license registration regime has proposed allowing non-local medical professionals to perform limited practices in Macau. The Second Standing Committee of the Legislative Assembly (AL) continued discussing the bill last Friday. Lawmakers expressed their concerns about the career prospects for local healthcare professionals, if non-locals are allowed to operate in Macau. The government explained that the approval procedure for giving non-local healthcare professionals access to Macau’s market would be restricted, and each approval must be announced via a Chief Executive order. The law currently allows organizations to hire non-local medical professionals only when Macau does not have relevant personnel available.

Over 22,000 hygiene violations recorded in 2019

In 2019, the Municipal Affairs Bureau (IAM), together with the Public Security Police Force, recorded over 22,700 cases of hygiene violations. Among these, there were over 11,000 littering cases and 1,787 spitting cases. In 226 of these cases, dog owners failed to clean up dog feces and urine on the streets. In total, the IAM has collected 12 million patacas in fines from all of these violations. This year, the IAM has made 3,763 prosecutions so far. Of these, 61 cases were related to dog feces and urine. Fong Vai Seng, head of the IAM’s department of environment, hygiene, and licenses, remarked that the city’s dog owners are still only cleaning up their dog’s urine with water, stressing that a better cleanup method is necessary. Fong reiterated that the general rule in public places stipulates that failing to clean your dog’s feces and urine is punishable. Local residents and foreigners account for half of these cases each. Currently, the IAM has 73 inspectors who work from 6 a.m. to midnight and are responsible for hygiene and environmental matters.