Resolve Employment Disputes in Singapore

Filing an employment-related complaint in Singapore

The Singapore employment legislation provides for the rights of the employee and the employer. Employees have the right to a fair remuneration, an annual leave, a fixed schedule and certain benefits among others. The employers in return must benefit from the services they have asked for.

However, due to the development of a large number of industries which led to diversification, not rarely conflicts between employers and employees appear. One can file an employment complaint in Singapore under certain circumstances:

• –          the complaint must be filed within maximum a year from the incident;
• –          if the complaint is filed after the employment has ended, salary claims must be submitted within 6 months (wrongful dismissal claims within 1 month of the last day of employment).

The petitioner must also make sure they have sufficient funds for carrying out such proceedings. Our lawyers in Singapore can assist you in litigations related to employment matters.

Types of employment disputes in Singapore

Not only workers are entitled to file employment complaints as nowadays the number of Singapore companies facing breaches of contractual clauses has increased a lot. These are the most common disputes related to the breach of the work contract in Singapore:

• –          filing for injunctions against unlawful action towards the company;
• –          breach of confidentiality clauses or agreements;
• –          discipline-related issues;
• –          breach of employment terms and conditions;
• –          breach of the coropoate governance code, in the case of directors.

Depending on the situation, the dispute can be handled by court proceedings, arbitration or mediation. Also, employment complaints can be filed with various governmental agencies and our  Singapore lawyers can help you with this process.

Settling employment litigation in Singapore

Employment disputes in Singapore are usually handled by the following institutions:

• –          the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM), for mandatory mediation;
• –          the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT);
• –          the Association of Employment Agencies in case of employment disputes between employees and recruitment agencies.

As mentioned above, disputes on employment matters can be dealt with in court, but the first step towards settling this type of litigation is usually submitting a claim with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). The claim will first go through mandatory mediation at TADM. TADM will first attempt to reconcile parties. If no agreement can be reached, the Employment Claims Tribunals will consider evidence submitted by both parties and make a decision based on it. If any of the litigants is unhappy about the decision, they may appeal to court procedures. For disputes that arrise from drawing and signing wills, you can contact our wills lawyer in Singapore.  

For assistance in choosing the best way of settling employment litigation, please contact our Singapore lawyers.