Singapore Government Invites Public Feedback on New Employment Dispute Resolution Mechanism

Singapore’s Ministry of Manpower (MOM) is inviting members of the public to give feedback on the proposed employment dispute resolution mechanism for Professionals, Managers and Executives (PMEs) and employers.

A public consultation document, summarising the key features of the process, can be accessed on the REACH website from 27 Aug 2010 to 9 Sept 2010, MOM said on Friday.

According to MOM, the proportion of PMEs in Singapore’s workforce has increased significantly and is likely to increase in the future. With increased economic volatility and shorter business cycles, more PMEs may face employment disputes with their employers, the manpower ministry said.

MOM added that while the parties could use the civil litigation process to settle their disputes, it would benefit both employ- ers and PMEs if their employment disputes were settled speedily and at low-cost. This will help to bring about more harmonious workplace relations, MOM said.

In response, MOM proposes to set up a dispute resolution mechanism involving adjudication and tripartite mediation to help PMEs and their employers to resolve their employment disputes. Details of the mechanism, which takes into consid- eration the feedback received from employer and employee representatives, can be found in the public consultation docu- ment.