Gov’t clears Resorts World Sentosa of discrimination charges in job cuts

Singaporean employees were not discriminated in the recent Resorts World Sentosa layoffs, according to the Ministry of Manpower.

In June, the integrated resort handed out walking papers to nearly 400 of its 12,000-strong workforce as China’s crackdown on corruption started taking a toll on Resorts World Sentosa’s gaming revenue. But some of the laid off employees complained of “discriminatory practices, unfair dismissals as well as inadequate compensation,” prompting the Ministry of Manpower to start an investigation on the downsizing—particularly the cases involving former casino workers who earned below SGD4,500 (USD3,333) per month and were therefore covered by the Singapore Employment Act.

The former employees accused the integrated resort of favoring foreigner workers over locals, claiming that Resorts World Sentosa had placed an ad in Malaysia to hire “foreigners at lower Singapore dollar salaries.”

Ministry officials, however, found that only “a significantly smaller proportion of Singaporeans”—or about 16% of the entire workforce—were affected in the job cuts, Today reported. The casino resort’s staff is made up of 60% Singaporeans.