A new office set up to address workplace disputes successfully
mediated in over 4,700 cases of salary disputes last year, Second
Minister for Manpower Josephine Teo told Parliament on Tuesday
(March 20).
She was responding to questions by Member of Parliament Lee Bee
Wah (Nee Soon GRC), who had asked about the outcomes of mediations
handled by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM),
which was set up in April last year, and the recourse available
when both parties refuse to attend the mediation sessions.
Mediation is compulsory for salary-related disputes, which are
governed under the Employment Claims Act. For non-salary disputes,
voluntary mediation is offered.
According to Mrs Teo, TADM received some 6,000 salary-related
claims between April and December last year, of which close to
eight in 10 were “settled amicably” through mediation.
Twelve per cent of cases were not settled as the parties were
unable to work out a settlement, with the disputes subsequently
referred to the Employment Claims Tribunals for adjudication. The
remaining 9 per cent were claims involving non-attendance at
mediation.
Mrs Teo said that one-third of non-attendance cases were closed
as the claimants themselves did not show up. For the remaining
two-thirds, claimants could have their claims heard and adjudicated
by the Employment Claims Tribunals, even if the respondents did not
turn up for the hearing.
“Where there are good grounds, the Employment Claims Tribunals
can and will make a payment order in favour of claimants for the
full claimed amount. As a consequence of non-attendance, the
Employment Claims Tribunals may also order respondents to pay costs
to claimants,” said Mrs Teo.
To date, 92 per cent of employees with valid claims have managed
to recover their salaries in full. Most of the remaining employees
received “some form of partial payment”, the minister added.
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