While job-hopping is the norm these days, staying loyal to the same company does have its benefits. Or at least, that’s what some might assume.
At the start of June, Resorts World Sentosa (RWS) casino staff received a pay raise.
Source: Google Maps
While this is typically something to rejoice over, senior staff got upset when they realised they only got an increment of S$10. In comparison, newcomers’ salaries went up by about S$300 to S$400.
There is now a petition calling for a pay adjustment for senior staff. At the time of writing, it has garnered over 400 signatures.
RWS has since responded with a statement saying that they will continue to review the job roles and salaries of their staff.
Shin Min Daily News recently spoke to 34-year-old Ms Feng, a senior casino dealer who has worked at RWS for over nine years.
Ms Feng, who has a basic salary of S$2,690, shared that when she received her pay earlier this month, she was shocked to see that she only got a S$10 increment.
In fact, the discrepancy in the pay raise between new and senior staff upset her so much that she took three days of medical leave.
According to Ms Feng, many staff who had joined RWS later than her got bigger raises.
Some who only joined for one to six months received increments of S$300 to S$400. They now make about S$2,200 a month.
Ms Feng speculated that another casino may be trying to poach employees. Hence, RWS is giving out huge raises to newcomers in a bid to get them to stay.
Another senior casino worker, 38-year-old Ms Lin, added that in the past, they would receive raises of S$100 or less after the annual evaluations.
There were no salary increments in the past year due to the pandemic. She was also not entitled to any allowances or subsidies.
After going through such a challenging period, she did not expect the meagre S$10 pay raise.
Dissatisfied, she also applied for two days of medical leave.
Ms Lin added that staff like her who have worked for at least nine years at RWS received either S$10 increments or nothing at all.
However, those who have worked for just four to five years got about S$300 to S$400 more. That’s an increase of 20% to 25%, bringing their salaries up to somewhere between S$2,400 and S$2,500.
According to Shin Min Daily News, so many disgruntled casino staff took medical leave that casino operations were disrupted.
Banding together, the RWS senior staff started a petition on Saturday (4 Jun).
Source: Change.org
Titled ‘Pay adjustment for all senior staff’, the petition description says that “senior staff do not get anything at all” when it comes to pay adjustments.
It also alleges that RWS had told them that they had already “hit the ceiling pay”.
At the time of writing, the petition has managed to get over 400 signatures.
Ms Lin’s husband, who also works at RWS and is now a director, said he had given 12 years to the company but did not get a pay raise.
Illustrating his point, he said new directors are paid about S$3,100, whilst those who have worked for more than a decade get S$3,200.
Disappointed and upset, he is one of the many who signed the petition.
In a statement to MS News, an RWS spokesperson said that they are ramping up recruitment efforts to prepare for a rebound in the tourism industry.
This is happening for roles across attraction operations, F&B services, hotels, and casinos.
To better attract and retain staff, they did a salary review exercise to ensure that they are keeping up with the market demand.
The spokesperson added that they recently reviewed the salaries of croupiers based on factors like industry competitiveness, their length of service with the company, and their range of skill-sets.
In addition, RWS also introduced a monthly training allowance to encourage staff to upskill themselves.
They then claimed that overall, “casino croupiers see an average uplift of 12% in their monthly salary”.
We will continue to review other job roles across the integrated resort with the objective to improve manpower capabilities and uplift the salaries of lower wage workers in Singapore.
As a way of thanking staff for their dedication and contributions during the pandemic, RWS will also be giving out a special “Appreciation Bonus” to all eligible staff this year.
The spokesperson concluded by saying that RWS is working closely with the government and the Attractions, Resorts and Entertainment Union to “ensure that Singapore continues to be a [world-class] tourism destination for leisure and business” and that they “have the best talent to achieve this”.
The tourism industry is still getting back on its feet after all the challenges brought about by the Covid-19 pandemic.
At such a time, it is only natural for employees who were loyal and stuck by the company through thick and thin to get their due recognition.
Hopefully, RWS and their staff can have a fruitful discussion about the situation and reach an arrangement that benefits both sides.
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Featured image adapted from Google Maps and Change.org.
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