Advice, mediation and tribunal referral
TADM and the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) provide employment-dispute routes established in 2017. TADM, created by MOM, NTUC and SNEF, supplies advice and mediation. Start with Ask TADM, book an advisory appointment, file through TADM eServices, or seek union help. An agreed mediated resolution becomes a settlement agreement under the Employment Claims Act. An unresolved claim receives a claim referral certificate for the ECT. Claims go to TADM first rather than being filed directly with the ECT.
Claims and filing periods
Employees may raise statutory salary claims under the Employment Act, RRA and CDCA; contractual salary claims exclude domestic workers, public servants and seafarers. Wrongful-dismissal claims cover employees under the Employment Act and CDCA. Employers can claim salary in lieu of notice.
| Claim / situation | Deadline |
|---|---|
| Salary, still employed | Within one year after the dispute arose |
| Salary, employment ended | Within six months after the final working day |
| Dismissed pregnant employee without maternity benefits | Within two months after confinement |
| Other wrongful dismissal | Within one month after the final working day |
Tripartite mediation and claim limits
The Tripartite Mediation Framework covers union-member PMEs and rank-and-file union members in non-unionised companies. Its issues include statutory employment benefits, re-employment, individual-contract breaches, retrenchment benefits and wrongful dismissal. The usual claim ceiling is S$20,000, rising to S$30,000 through this framework or recognised-union-assisted mediation. A claimant above the applicable limit must relinquish the excess to use the statutory settlement or ECT route.
Additional assistance and self-employment
TADM assesses short-term relief for local low-income salary claimants whose employer cannot settle arrears following business failure. It can also assist with disputes outside employment-law coverage. Self-employed persons with service-buyer payment disputes may approach the Small Claims Tribunals, their sector agency (MOM lists LTA and [email protected]), or TADM; an SEP KET template is available. The official resource list includes the 2016 Bill speech, consultation response, ECT infographic and SEP mediation factsheet.
Related topics and services
Documents and references
- use the "Ask TADM" chatbot advisory service ↗ Reference
- TADM eServices ↗ Reference
- Read article → · settlement agreement ↗ PDF
- Read article → · claim referral certificate ↗ PDF
- TADM ↗ Reference
- Small Claims Tribunals ↗ Government source
- TADM ↗ Reference
- Second Reading Speech for the Employment Claims Bill 2016 by Mr Lim Swee Say, Minister for Manpower, 15 August 2016 ↗ Government source
- MOM’s response to the Employment Claims Tribunals public consultation, 15 August 2016 ↗ Government source
- Read article → · Infographics on Employment Claims Tribunals ↗ PDF
- Read article → · Factsheet on voluntary mediation services for self-employed persons ↗ PDF