Manager loses wrongful dismissal case after tribunal rules he was not a ‘relevant employee’
The man had received salary in lieu of notice after his employment was terminated just short of 6 months in the job.
In Singapore, a high-paying software manager who claimed wrongful dismissal lost his case when an Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT) magistrate ruled his employer had jurisdiction to hear his complaint. The tribunal dismissed the claimant's wrongful dismissal claim, determining he was not a "relevant employee" with a statutory right to bring a claim under the Employment Act.
The dispute centered on whether the manager, hired on April 28, 2025, fell within the narrow category of employees entitled to pursue wrongful dismissal claims. He was terminated on October 24, after less than six months of employment, without serving notice but was paid salary in lieu of notice. The employer argued he should not be classified as a "relevant employee" because he had worked for less than six months, while the claimant maintained he should be covered as he had not yet received the salary in lieu of notice.
The magistrate rejected the claimant's argument, noting that eligibility should not be determined solely based on the date he filed his mediation request with the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM). The magistrate warned that accepting the claimant's argument could lead to "absurd results." The ruling dismissed the claim for lack of jurisdiction, as the claimant did not satisfy the statutory definitions of a "relevant employee."
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