Four of Macau’s six gaming operators announced Monday in separate statements increased paid maternity and paternity leave for their employees.
SJM said that that it “puts employees first and is dedicated to enhancing the welfare benefits of its staff members,” adding paid maternity leave will be increased from 56 days to 70 days, while paid paternity leave will be increased from 3 days to 5 days.
The SJM statement pointed out that its measure results from “the report on the Consultative Survey on Maternity and Paternity Leave released by the Labour Affairs Bureau on May 7.”
According to the statement, employees applying for maternity or paternity leave will receive a 1,000 pataca “SJM Excellence Staff Centre” gift coupon, while employees on their birthdays will receive a 300 pataca gift coupon.
The statement also said that “in response to the recommendation by the Liaison Office of the Central People’s Government in Macau, SJM will allocate more resources to patriotic education and increase the number of participants in related training programmes.
“Employees who participate in patriotic training courses or activities organised by the company during working hours will enjoy paid leave.”
Meanwhile, Sands China said that it is increasing the amount of paid maternity for all eligible team members from Friday, extending the total leave period from 56 days to 70 days.
The statement quoted Sands China President Wilfred Wong Ying-wai as saying that his company “has always placed importance on team members’ work-life balance, so we are very pleased to announce this extension in our maternity leave policy.
“The company hopes team members will enjoy having this additional time at home with their families to welcome their newborns into the world and enjoy the blessings of motherhood.”
The statement pointed out that Sands China “recently established a five-day paid paternity leave scheme for its team members, which took effect in February.”
Meanwhile, MGM said that “as a caring company that values the well-being of its team members” it decided to enhance its maternity and paternity benefits from June 1, “in support of the government’s proposal to amend the Labour [Relations] Law.”
The statement underlined that with the enhanced benefits, the duration of paid maternity leave will be increased to 70 calendar days from 56 calendar days, while the duration of paid paternity leave will be extended to 5 working days from the current 2 working days.
The statement quoted MGM China Holdings CEO and Executive Director Grant Bowie as saying that “the extended duration of paid maternity and paternity leave is our appreciation to the dedication of our team members.”
Meanwhile, Melco Resorts and Entertainment said that paid maternity leave will be increased from 56 days to 70 days and paid paternity leave will be raised from 2 days to 5 days for all eligible employees.
“Melco values its employees as the company’s most important asset,” the statement said, adding that yesterday’s announcement supports a study recently published by the local government “showing a general consensus among employers, employees and the general public to be in favour of increasing maternity and paternity leave benefits.”
The statement quoted Melco Chairman and CEO Lawrence Ho Yau-lung as saying that “employees have always been our top priority.
“We believe that as we take good care of our employees, they will in turn take good care of our guests.”
Underlining the company’s dedication to providing an “ideal working environment” to its staff, the statement mentioned as an “example” that in order to “assist nursing mothers returning to work, in 2016 we launched fully equipped lactation rooms for employees.”
Wynn Macau and Galaxy Entertainment Group (GEG) announced their increased paid maternity and paternity benefits earlier this year.
