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File an employment claim
About the Employment Claims Tribunals
The Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) provide employees and employers with a speedy and low-cost forum in which to resolve their salary-related claims and wrongful dismissal claims.
Mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) is compulsory before claims can be filed at the ECT. You may only file a claim at the ECT if both of the following applies:
- Your dispute is unresolved after mediation at TADM.
- You have been issued a claim referral certificate by an approved TADM mediator.
Note
You should submit a mediation request to TADM as soon as your claim arises, as there are limits to the claim period.
You may refer to TADM's mediation guide for more information.
File an employment claim step-by-step
This is the process of filing an employment claim.
If you file a claim, you are the claimant.
The other party is the respondent. If you have a claim made against you, refer to Respond to an employment claim instead.
Note
Lawyers are not allowed to represent parties for ECT matters.
Before filing
Understand employment claims
Find out if your employment claim can be heard at the ECT.
When filing a claim
File and serve an employment claim
You need to file your employment claim in the Community Justice and Tribunals System (CJTS) and serve it on the respondent.
Resolving the dispute
Resolve the dispute online
Parties have a chance to settle their dispute online without going to court by online negotiation (eNegotiation) or upon request, online mediation (eMediation) on CJTS.
Attend court
If the dispute is not resolved, both you and the respondent must attend a case management conference (CMC). At the CMC, the registrar will attempt to mediate the dispute between the parties.
If the matter cannot be settled at the CMC, the case will be fixed for a hearing before a tribunal magistrate.
After an ECT order is made
File an application, if needed
You may file an appeal against an employment claims order in some cases, or set aside an order made in your absence if you missed a court session. If the ECT makes an order in your favour but the other party does not comply, you may apply to enforce it.
2021/07/23
Resources
Refer to Guide to Employment Claims (PDF, 226 KB).
Legislation associated with this topic includes:
Refer to Paragraph 142 of the State Courts Practice Directions for employment claims.
If you require assistance, you may approach or enquire with these organisations:
Organisation | Contact information |
|---|---|
Ministry of Manpower (MOM) | Hotline: 6438 5122 |
Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) | (For Singaporeans and PRs) |
Migrant Workers' Centre (MWC) | MWC Serangoon |
National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) | NTUC Centre |
Singapore National Employers Federation (SNEF) | Paya Lebar Square (Lobby 2) |
Related questions
This is because these employees have other avenues to resolve their employment disputes:
- Foreign domestic workers can call the Ministry of Manpower's (MOM) Foreign Domestic Worker helpline at 1800 339 5505 (weekdays only).
- Seafarers can contact the Maritime Port Authority (MPA).
- Public officers can approach their agency’s HR department.
However, public servants, domestic workers and seafarers may bring certain statutory salary-related and wrongful dismissal claims to TADM and the ECT, such as claims for employment assistance payments and maternity benefits.
Interns who are engaged under a contract of service will be covered under the Employment Claims Act and may bring their claims before the ECT.
If you are below 18 years old and have gone through TADM mediation for your claim, you can proceed to file a claim in the ECT if you are represented by a parent or guardian.
Yes. Under Section 36 of the Civil Law Act, you may file a claim at the ECT, or defend, conduct or intervene in ECT proceedings.
Setting a limit on the claim amount helps to ensure that the dispute resolution process at the ECT remains quick and affordable. It also encourages parties to file their claims early, rather than allowing the claims to accumulate over time.
No. The ECT will only consider the claim amount indicated in your claim form. You will not be allowed to add the amount of other claims that were earlier abandoned.
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