BRIEFS | SJM workers protest and MGM staff complain to DSAL

SJM staff are staging another protest tomorrow, with employees going on strike and handing in sick leave certificates, Portuguese newspaper Hoje Macau reported. Feiji Loi, from the Forefront of Macau Gaming, said that SJM employees are taking in a medical sick leave on Saturday. It was also reported that MGM staff are unsatisfied with current working conditions and plan to file a complaint at the Labor Affairs Bureau on Monday. The co-founder of the Macau Gaming Industry Frontline Workers’ Union, Cloee Chao, said that MGM employees are demanding that the operator include tips in casino dealers’ salaries, as well as a 10 percent salary raise. They are also complaining about ventilation systems at gaming tables. She explained that MGM workers would not resort to a protest as they are looking for a smoother approach at this point.

TUI suggests allowing TSI to judge cases involving top gov’t officials

In its annual report, The Court of Final Appeal (TUI) has proposed that the Court of Second Appeal (TSI) could judge cases involving crimes committed by top government officials. Currently, crimes committed by the Chief Executive, the president of the Legislative Assembly and the government secretaries must be taken to the Court of Final Appeal. TUI’s president, Sam Hou Fai, suggested allowing government officials who commit a crime to be judged by TSI, so they can have a chance to appeal. Lawmaker Leonel Alves told Radio Macau that he agrees with the measure, as citizens should be entitled to appeal a court ruling. “From a human rights perspective (…) I believe this suggestion is a good measure,” he said, noting there have been past situations in which a person was not allowed to appeal. This was the case of former Secretary for Transport and Public Works, Ao Man Long.

Travel pass for HK, Macau goes digital

The Exit-Entry Permit for travelling between Hong Kong and Macau will be digitalized across the nation starting on Monday, according to a statement from the Ministry of Public Security. The electronic pass that allows mainland Chinese to travel to the two special administrative regions has successfully been piloted in south China’s Guangdong Province, neighbor to Hong Kong and Macau, and will be used on the mainland, the statement read.  The endorsements will be printed on the back of the permit and managed by a computer information system. The police department will also register fingerprint information when people first apply for the permit. The period of validity for an adult permit will be extended to 10 years, while the validity period for minors under the age of 16 will remain five years.The new permit will be a card embedded with an electronic integrated circuit chip that stores personal data and endorsement information. The electronic permit has much stronger anti-counterfeiting features compared to the paper permits of the past.