GGRAsia – Sands China announces pay rise, bonus to staff

Sands China announces pay rise, bonus to staff

Feb 04, 2016 Newsdesk Latest News, Macau, Top of the deck

Macau casino operator Sands China Ltd on Thursday announced a special bonus for employees of eligible grades and a pay rise for eligible staff. Sands China was the last of the Macau casino operators to announce a staff bonus for 2016 but it was the first to publicly announce a pay rise this year.

Sands China said in a press release that among its 26,000 eligible employees, the ones that had completed at least one full year of service would receive a bonus equivalent to “at least one month’s salary” on February 5. Other full-time employees who joined the company before October 1, 2015, and were still employed as of February 5, were also eligible for the special bonus, to be paid pro rata according to their time with the company.

In addition, the casino firm also announced staff pay rises effective on March 1. The measure includes manager graded staff and will benefit about 96 percent of the company’s employees, Sands China said.

Eligible full-time employees earning up to MOP12,000 (US$1,500) per month will receive a pay increase of MOP500 per month. The casino operator said it represents an increase of between 4 percent and 6 percent per month for workers in that wage bracket.

The firm’s eligible employees earning more than MOP12,000 per month will receive an average increment of 2 percent, with a monthly ceiling of MOP45,000 after the salary increase, Sands China said.

“Sands China is pleased to announce this bonus and salary increase during such a challenging business environment,” Wilfred Wong Ying Wai, president of Sands China, said in a statement. “We are committed to rewarding our greatest asset – our dedicated employees, who have been working hard amid challenges,” he added.

In Thursday’s release, Sands China said it would again distribute in July a “special award to employees that are manager grade and below”. The award, equivalent to one month’s salary, was first announced and distributed in 2014. It will be paid each year through 2017, the firm said.

The other five casino operators in Macau have all announced special 2016 bonuses – in most cases equal to one-month salary – to their non-management staff.