However, most workers in Singapore who filed the complaints have recovered their pay
Employers in Singapore failed to pay over $15million in salaries, according to an inaugural report by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM).
As of March this year, 89% of 5,773 employees who filed claims with the TADM have fully recovered their salaries.
Over 8,500 salary claims were made at TADM, with 88% resolved under the Employment Claims Act.
“TADM has been taking an active role in facilitating the amicable settlement of claims for both local and foreign workers,” wrote Stephen Lee, chairman at Tripartite Alliance Limited.
He cited examples like TADM’s extended voluntary mediation services as of March 2018 to self-employed persons who encounter payment disputes, which allows freelancers here an additional channel to resolve their employment issues.
TADM’s scope of mediation has also expanded to include wrongful dismissal claims, he said.
READ MORE: Do late payments always lead to legal trouble?
Additionally, 2019 saw the implementation of an online filling system for employment claims, as well as enhanced dispute resolution coverage for professionals, managers and executives (PMEs).
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TADM’s extended coverage for PMEs aligns with the Ministry of Manpower’s changes to the Employment Act and Employment Claims Act.
Fair and inclusive workplace practices
Besides the latest stats on salary disputes, the report also highlighted figures on the Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices (TAFEP)’s efforts to improve workplace practices.
There were 357 complaints made on unfair practices in 2018, based on their findings.
“The number of complaints related to discriminatory practices received from the public remained fairly constant over the past five years,” wrote the report.
The top three issues handled from April 1, 2018 to March 31, 2019 were:
- Fair consideration for hiring Singaporeans (1 in 4)
- Age-based discrimination (2 in 13)
- Gender-based discrimination (1 in 9)
READ MORE: How to fight age discrimination in the workplace
“Similarly, the top issue for feedback and queries received was fair consideration for Singaporeans, with others related to age and language specifications in job advertisements,” found the report.
However, ground efforts have also been improving. More than 2,300 companies have adopted various Tripartite Standards, as of March 2019. The guidelines for progressive workplace practices have benefitted over 627,000 employees.
Also, over 10,200 HR professionals and managers have participated in TAFEP workshops.