Debated in Parliament on 2 Sep 2019.
Ms Sylvia Lim asked the Minister for Manpower regarding the cases dealt with by the Employment Claims Tribunal (ECT) since it was established in April 2017 (a) how many and what proportion of employee-claimants obtained judgments or orders for monetary payments in their favour; (b) of the cases in (a), how many involved scenarios where the employers had abided by the terms of the employment contracts but yet were ordered by the ECT to pay additional sums to the employees; and (c) of the cases in (b), what were the typical grounds that led the ECT to order the employers to pay sums over and above what was contractually agreed.
About 1,600 employees have filed salary claims at the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) between April 2017 when it was established and December 2018. Two-thirds of the claims filed resulted in money orders issued to employers to settle the salary claims, and the remaining were mostly withdrawn or dismissed.
The ECT does not order employers to pay sums beyond the employees' statutory or contractual entitlements. If an order has been made against the employer, it is usually due to two reasons: (a) the employer did not abide by the terms of the employment contract; or (b) the employment contract although observed, was contrary to the Employment Act.
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