Sands China Ltd. is giving its staff a pay raise.
On Thursday, the Macau casino operator announced that its non-management staff is getting not only a pay raise, but also a special bonus for 2016, GGRAsia reported. The announcement came despite the bleak performance of the city state’s gaming sector.
In its announcement, Sands China said employees that had completed at least one year of service are eligible to receive a bonus equivalent to “at least one month’s salary” on February 5. For employees who joined the company before October 1, 2015, and were still employed as of February 5, they still get to receive the special bonus, but it will be paid on a pro rata basis.
In addition, Sands China’s staff will also get a bump in their pay starting March 1. Full time employees with a monthly salary of up to MOP12,000 (US$1,500) will get a pay increase of MOP500 per month, which is about 4 to 5 percent increase in their pay.
Staff members earning more than MOP12,000 per month will receive an increment of at least 2 percent, with a monthly ceiling of MOP45,000 after the salary increase, the company said, according to the report.
The pay hike will benefit an estimated 96 percent of Sands China’s total workforce. The casino operator said it has a total of 26,000 eligible employees.
“Sands China is pleased to announce this bonus and salary increase during such a challenging business environment,” Sands China President Wilfred Wong Ying Wai said in a statement. “We are committed to rewarding our greatest asset—our dedicated employees, who have been working hard amid challenges.”
Sands China is the first Macau casino operator to announce a pay hike this year. Labor groups in the city state have been pushing for a salary raise for casino employees, saying that giving a pay raise to staff will not harm the companies since the expenditures on the welfare staff make up around 10 percent of the casino’s operational costs.
Wynn Macau Ltd. has already announced that employees of Wynn Macau and Wynn Palace will get a one-month bonus ahead of the Chinese New Year holiday period. SJM Holdings Ltd. also said that it will keep on giving out bonuses to staff this year. However, the two casino operators failed to mention if its employees will have a salary increase for 2016.
