By The Casino Employees Union (CEU) in Mauritius is demanding employment protections for around 600 workers as the government moves forward with plans to privatise its loss-making casino business, according to Focus Gaming News. The union says discussions with the State Investment Corporation (SIC) have reached a standstill, and it has not ruled out industrial action.
The CEU presented three proposals at a general assembly on October 21. They include a voluntary early-retirement scheme for employees aged over 50, guarantees that existing staff will retain their jobs after a takeover, and a mechanism to redeploy workers to companies managed by or partly owned by SIC. Union president Jayen Moorghen said 21 days had passed without further clarification following an earlier meeting at which management reportedly said six bidders had expressed interest in acquiring the casinos.
What is being sold and why
The privatisation covers four operational casinos: Le Grand Casino Du Domaine, Le Caudan Waterfront Casino, Casino De Maurice, and Grand Baie Casino. The State Investment Corporation has been funding losses for years. In the financial year ended June 2025, the casinos recorded losses of Rs272 million (US$5.8 million). Between July and December 2025, further losses reached Rs121 million (US$2.6 million). From 2015 to 2025, SIC injected around Rs1.3 billion (US$27.7 million) into casino operations.
The tender closed on August 17, 2026, and evaluation was expected to conclude by September 30. Six bids were received: five from international investors and one from a Mauritian operator. PricewaterhouseCoopers is acting as transaction adviser. No preferred bidder has been publicly identified in the reports reviewed.
What the union is actually asking for
The three proposals are demands, not confirmed commitments. The first is a voluntary early-retirement scheme for employees aged over 50 who wish to participate. Union negotiator Sharvin Sunassee said no early-retirement plan had been proposed by management. The second is a guarantee that existing staff keep their jobs after any takeover. The third is a redeployment mechanism into other SIC-managed or partly owned companies.
The union’s core argument, as reported by Libération, is that “workers should not be called upon to pay the price for political interference and management errors accumulated over the years.” That framing matters for HR and payroll teams because it signals the union is preparing to contest any restructuring that treats job losses as an operational necessity rather than a consequence of past decisions.
What this means for HR and payroll teams
For HR managers at the four casinos, the immediate task is workforce planning under uncertainty. The union has not ruled out industrial action, which means payroll teams should prepare for the possibility of strike-related absence reporting and any local rules on pay during industrial action. Employers should confirm the current position under Mauritian labour law rather than assume continuity.
Payroll leads should also model the cost of a voluntary early-retirement scheme. If one is eventually agreed, it will affect terminal payments, pension calculations, and possibly tax treatment of lump sums. The union has proposed the scheme for employees over 50, but no eligibility thresholds, benefit formulas, or funding sources have been published. Any figures used for budgeting would be speculative at this stage.
Recruiting and redeployment are the other pressure points. The union wants a mechanism to move workers into other SIC-linked companies. That would require mapping skills across different entities, identifying vacancies, and agreeing on transfer terms. HR teams outside the casinos but within SIC’s orbit should watch for requests to absorb redeployed staff.
What happens next
The union is seeking clarity on the future of employees as the privatisation process progresses. The proposals remain demands rather than confirmed commitments by the government, SIC, or any prospective buyer. The latest status of the tender evaluation remains unconfirmed in the reports reviewed.
For HR and payroll readers in Mauritius, the practical steps are to document current terms and conditions, confirm the legal position on transfers of undertakings, and prepare scenario plans for sale, restructuring, or industrial action. Employers should confirm the rules for their own situation with local legal advisers, as the reports reviewed do not set out the statutory framework.
Sources: Focus Gaming News
Photo: RO HD Cazinoul muncitoresc din Petrosani (1) by Țetcu Mircea Rareș, CC BY-SA 4.0
