MBS casino staff gripe about pay, work roster

The following article was published in the Straits Times on 4 October 2010.

MBS casino staff gripe about pay, work roster
Manpower Ministry is looking into the complaints
By Ng Kai Ling
Straits Times, Oct 4, 2010

UNHAPPY croupiers at the Marina Bay Sands (MBS) casino have turned to the Ministry of Manpower (MOM) for help with employment issues at the integrated resort.

Responding to a query from The Straits Times, MOM said on Friday that since the casino opened in April, 14 employees had approached the ministry to provide feedback and seek assistance on employment and contractual issues.

The ministry added that it has been working with MBS to resolve the matter.

In most cases, MOM encourages employers and employees to engage in constructive dialogue to try to resolve any issues amicably on their own.

Employers can, however, be taken to court for more severe cases.

The MOM spokesman could not provide details on the nature of the MBS cases, but dealers whom The Straits Times spoke to were open about the source of their unhappiness - chiefly, issues with pay and erratic work schedules.

MBS croupiers have been especially vocal these last few months, particularly on online forums, about their pay being wrongly docked when they went on medical leave.

Some have even resorted to not turning up for work en masse as a form of protest on various issues.

Said a 30-year-old croupier, who declined to be named: 'I had $75 deducted from my latest payroll because my MC was reflected as no-pay leave. The same thing happened last month and I haven't even got that back.'

Hectic work schedules are also an issue.

Said one female dealer who recently resigned: 'Schedules are planned with little consideration for workers' welfare. One would work three consecutive days from 6pm to 2am, then the next day from 2pm to 10pm, followed by another shift at noon.'

The situation with the schedules was made worse recently by fellow dealers' no-show acts. It resulted in longer shifts for croupiers who had to make up for their absence.

Some employees said that noticeably fewer tables were opened last week as there was no one to man them.

'Just last Monday, five out of six dealers who were supposed to work at a pit of four tables did not show up for their shifts,' said the former employee.

In a statement, an MBS spokesman said casino operations have not been disrupted and no casino tables were closed due to staffing issues. It also refuted a recent report in Chinese newspaper Lianhe Wanbao that said some dealers went on strike.

On the problem of wage payment, the spokesman said: 'Valid medical certificates are always honoured but they need to be submitted promptly on the day of the employee's return to work, in order for them to be processed accordingly. Delayed submission will lead to delayed payment, just like in any other organisation.'

Reports of mass resignation among dealers were also shot down.

'Resignations by dealers over the past two months constitute less than 1 per cent of our total number of gaming team members,' said the spokesman.

MBS did not reveal how many croupiers it employs, but The Straits Times understands that the team is about 2,000 strong.

When asked if they have tried talking to their management, the dealers said their feedback has fallen on deaf ears.

'We have brought up problems at our bi-weekly forum with management and they said they'll look into them. But nothing gets done,' said one employee who was among the pioneer batch of MBS dealers.

To add insult to injury, dealers were told at a recent forum that they will not receive any bonus this year.

This despite the resort raking in $128 million in its first two months of operation as reported by parent company Las Vegas Sands in July.

'Our morale is very low. We don't feel appreciated. When the company first opened, we were very enthusiastic and we really worked very hard,' said a 40-year-old who quit his job in the IT industry to join the casino.

Another dealer added: 'It's quite an awesome job really, but the management makes it difficult to work.'