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Singapore: The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness – interim report

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The Tripartite Committee was convened in July 2021 to review Singapore’s workplace fairness framework. It has now released its interim report on its recommendations for the proposed Workplace Fairness Legislation, and the bill is expected to be proposed in Parliament in 2024.

In brief

The Tripartite Committee on Workplace Fairness (“Tripartite Committee“) has released its interim report on 13 February 2023 with its 20 recommendations (“Recommendations“) for the proposed Workplace Fairness Legislation.

In 2021, the Singapore government announced that it will be taking steps to enshrine the Tripartite Guidelines on Fair Employment Practices (“TGFEP“) in law. The TGFEP, which is non-legally binding, sets out principles of workplace fairness and best practices for employers. While the TGFEP has improved standards of workplace fairness in Singapore, it does not have legal force. Enshrining the TGFEP in law is a significant step towards strengthening Singapore’s stand against workplace discrimination.

The Tripartite Committee is of the view that the Workplace Fairness Legislation can enhance our current framework by:

  1. Strengthening Singapore’s overall framework for workplace fairness.
  2. Providing more remedies for harm done due to workplace discrimination, beyond wrongful dismissal, including both monetary and non-monetary remedies.
  3. Providing more appropriate enforcement measures against discriminatory employers, which are calibrated to the severity of the discriminatory behaviour.
  4. Formalising mediation as the preferred approach to resolve workplace discrimination disputes to preserve a non-litigious and harmonious workplace culture.

The Tripartite Committee has categorised the 20 Recommendations into four key topics. We summarise the Recommendations based on the four topics in Annex 1 below, along with key details relating to each Recommendation.

Click here to access full alert.

The Tripartite Committee is seeking public feedback with a view to publish the final report by end 2023. As we will be participating in the public consultation, we invite you to share your comments with us so that we can take into account your considerations when providing our feedback on the Recommendations.

If you would like to participate in this exercise, please complete the short questionnaire by 3 March 2023.

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Celeste is a principal in our Dispute Resolution and Employment Practice Groups. Her practice encompasses corporate and commercial dispute resolution, investigations and compliance. She has significant experience acting for global clients in cross-border disputes and advising clients on ethics & compliance and regulatory issues in the context of risks analysis and mitigation and cross-border investigations. Celeste also has a particular focus in employment, particularly contentious employment work and employee investigations.
Celeste has been recognised as a 'Litigation Star' in the Labor and Employment space by Benchmark Litigation Asia Pacific 2023 and has been ranked Band 1 in Employment in Singapore by Chambers Asia-Pacific since 2019 to date. A client has commended Celeste for being "a fantastic partner who knows our industry well and has been our first contact for external legal work for many years." Celeste is also ranked as a Leading Individual in Labour and Employment in Singapore by Legal 500 Asia Pacific since 2019 and noted by clients as "an experienced litigator with a very sound knowledge of the law, who is also able to consider the client’s commercial concerns when providing advice" and in the foreign firms section as "great at connecting her entire network when the client needs additional service outside Singapore."

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Kelvin is a principal in the Corporate & Securities, Investment Funds and Employment Practice Groups in Singapore. Kelvin is recognised by various legal publications as a leading lawyer for investment funds and employment in Singapore.

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Ng Zhao Yang is a local principal in the Employment Practice Group of Baker McKenzie Wong & Leow in Singapore. He has over 10 years of experience advising regional and multinational clients on employment law and immigration matters in Singapore.
He is recognised as an “Up and Coming” individual by Chambers & Partners Asia-Pacific 2024 in the Singapore Employment: Domestic category. Clients who spoke to Chambers described him as “very responsive,” “well-versed" and "provides technically strong and commercial advice." He is also recognised as a “Next Generation Partner” by The Legal 500 Asia Pacific 2024 in Singapore, in the Labour and employment: Local firms and Foreign firms categories.

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Shu Ying Chua is an Associate in Baker & McKenzie Wong & Leow, Singapore office.

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