20,000 Hongkongers tipped to lose construction jobs in Macau
More than 20,000 Hongkongers working in Macau's construction sector will lose their jobs in the next few months as the financial crisis takes its toll on tourism, according to a union leader.
The prediction came yesterday after Las Vegas Sands Corp said it was laying off 11,000 workers - 4,000 Hongkongers, 5,000 from the mainland and 2,000 from Macau.
Choi Chun-wah, chairman of the Construction Industry Employees' General Union, said about 28,000 Hongkongers were working in Macau's construction sector.
'About 10,000 Hong Kong workers of the construction sector in Macau, including those at managerial level such as engineers and safety officers and frontline construction workers, have already come back to Hong Kong,' he said. 'Construction workers of all kinds of work such as bar-benders and those who do foundation work, lay bricks and operate cranes ... are all affected. I think more Hong Kong workers will come back home after the Lunar New Year. I expect 20,000 will lose their jobs.'
The union had received inquiries from Hong Kong workers returning from Macau asking for help to find jobs. 'We hope the Hong Kong government can introduce more infrastructure projects so that more construction workers can find jobs. We will march to the Central Government Offices to express our demand on Sunday,' he said.
Macao Workers' Union chairman Ho Heng-kuok said Las Vegas Sands had left workers unpaid for the past few months, owing about HK$10 million, and he hoped the government would help workers get their wages. The union would plan a rally if workers did not get their salaries, he said. Macau workers were very worried about losing their jobs. 'Las Vegas Sands Corp is such a big company and if even this big company cannot survive the financial tsunami, then how about other smaller companies? Then workers hired by these companies will be affected too, as the economic situation worsens,' he said.
'We hope the Macau government can help local workers find jobs and take over the Venetian in case it goes bankrupt.' Mr Ho said many workers had been told to take days off or to go back home because work on building sites would not resume soon.
Hong Kong bar-bender Mr Liu, who has been working on phase six of the Venetian, said work at more than 90 per cent of major hotel and casino projects had been suspended.
'The suspension began in the past two to three weeks at big construction sites,' he said. 'I know that work at the Venetian, Wayne and Landmark construction sites is all suspended today. I still had work to do yesterday, but my supervisor told me to take a day off today.
'I can only wait for further news now. I think I will start packing and go back to Hong Kong at the weekend to see if I can find work back home.'
