The Enjoy Punta del Este union demands casino negotiations
A cashier who handles currency exchange and international transfers is not a hotel employee. This is the argument with which the Baluma Officials Association (AFUB) has been demanding that the working conditions in the gaming area be discussed separately, and which the Uruguayan Chamber of Hotel and Gastronomy Owners has not yet agreed to put on the table.
The union has already attended two hearings at the Wage Councils, separated by about fifteen days each. In both, it raised the same point: there are nearly 500 people who work directly in casino operations, including tables, slots, and cash desks, with functions that go beyond what hotel work entails.
The second front of the conflict lies with temporary staff. Juan Artega, a leader of AFUB, told Cadena del Mar that the new management laid off about 250 temporary workers who used to participate in the operation approximately a month and a half ago, and that this decision also led to situations of multi-tasking: people temporarily transferred to other duties while others were simply no longer called upon.
There is one detail that the union pointed out with particular annoyance. Some of these workers had undergone Portuguese language training promoted in conjunction with INEFOP, precisely with the aim of helping to preserve jobs in anticipation of the change of ownership.
All of this is happening while construction progresses. JHSF Península, part of the Brazilian group JHSF, acquired Baluma S.A., owner and operator of Enjoy Punta del Este Resort and Casino, for US$160m. The Central Bank of Uruguay gave its approval in July, and the Commission for the Promotion and Defense of Competition authorized it in its first phase during August. The plan transforms the complex into Fasano Península, with a new hotel, shopping center, residences, and the casino in operation. The first stage is projected for completion by the end of 2026 and the second by the end of 2027.
The union's concern is not new. In May, when the sale was just confirmed, AFUB counted about 1,600 workers in the complex, nearly 600 of whom were temporary, and asked to know the extent of the reforms. Now it adds a more concrete request: guarantees for those on unemployment insurance and clarity on when they might be reincorporated as the works progress next year.
Enjoy Punta del Este is one of the largest casinos in Uruguay and operates under a state license in a market where land-based activity still accounts for the majority of legal gambling. The fact that the discussion is taking place within the Wage Councils of the hotel sector, and not in a specific gaming forum, is exactly what the union is trying to change.
Tags: Baluma Officials Association, Enjoy Punta del Este, Fasano Península, JHSF