Trade union federation calls for clearer guidelines for casino employees

Lawmakers representing the workers’ association have called for clearer guidelines for casino employees regarding who is to bear the costs of mandatory nucleic acid tests (NATs) and KN95 masks.

In a statement, members of the Macao Federation of Trade Unions (FAOM) said that casino employees have confirmed that they will have to undergo a NAT every 48 hours and a mandatory rapid antigen test (RAT) every day, as well using KN95 masks in their workplace.

The stringent measure comes after the surge of cases recorded in the city and the fact that casinos are open amid this outbreak.

Although the lawmakers agree with the need to ensure safety and prevent the spread of Covid-19, Ella Lei and Leong Sun Iok expressed worry that employees would suffer increased financial burden by having to shoulder these expenses.

Employees in integrated resorts informed the Times that many of them have been encouraged to take unpaid leave, while others have been forced to do so. Some already have confirmed schedules showing that they are on unpaid leave from July 1 to July 15. 

The lawmakers called for further regulations regarding these extra expenses, slamming the lack of clear guidelines for employees to follow.

According to the association, many workers rushed to pharmacies to acquire these resources due to concerns that they would be out of stock.

“Even though the workers asked supervisors for clarification, they were unable to obtain an unequivocal response,” the lawmakers claimed in the statement.

The government has limited its public services, prohibited entertainment venues from operating, and banned restaurants from providing dine-in services.

Casinos, meanwhile, remain open. 

During the last round of mass testing, the government handed out five antigen kits and a set of 10-piece KN95 masks to the public.