Industrial Relations Act
(CHAPTER 136)

(Original Enactment: Ordinance 20 of 1960)

REVISED EDITION 2004
(1st January 2004)
An Act to provide for the regulation of the relations of employers and employees and the prevention and settlement of trade disputes by collective bargaining and conciliation and arbitration.
[15th September 1960]
PART I
PRELIMINARY
Short title
1.  This Act may be cited as the Industrial Relations Act.
Interpretation
2.  In this Act, unless the context otherwise requires —
“award” means an award made by a Court;
“collective agreement” means an agreement as to industrial matters;
“Commissioner” means the Commissioner for Labour appointed under section 3 of the Employment Act (Cap. 91), and includes a Deputy Commissioner for Labour, a Principal Assistant Commissioner for Labour and an Assistant Commissioner for Labour under that Act;
“conciliation officer” means a conciliation officer appointed under section 28;
“Court” means an Industrial Arbitration Court established under section 3;
“employee” means a person who has entered into or works under a contract of service with an employer and includes an officer or servant of the Government included in a category, class or description of such officers or servants declared by notification in the Gazette by the President of Singapore to be employees for the purposes of this Act, but does not include any person or class of persons whom the Minister may from time to time by notification in the Gazette declare not to be employees for the purposes of this Act;
“employer” means any person who employs another person under a contract of service and includes —
(a)the Government in respect of such categories, classes or descriptions of officers or servants of the Government as from time to time are declared by the President of Singapore to be employees for the purposes of this Act;
(b)a statutory authority;
(c)a duly authorised agent or manager of an employer;
(d)a person who owns, or is carrying on, or for the time being responsible for the management or control of a profession, business, trade or work in which an employee is engaged;
(e)for the purposes of Parts V, VI and VII, the transferor of an undertaking whose employment of employees is transferred by virtue of section 18A of the Employment Act;
“industrial matters” means matters pertaining to the relations of employers and employees which are connected with the employment or non-employment or the terms of employment, the transfer of employment or the conditions of work of any person;
“industrial relations officer” means an industrial relations officer appointed under section 28;
“inspecting officer” means a person who is an inspecting officer for the purposes of the Employment Act (Cap. 91);
“officer”, in relation to a trade union or a branch of a trade union, includes any member of the body, by whatever name called, to which the management of the affairs of the trade union or branch is entrusted;
“President” means the President or the Deputy President of the Courts and includes an acting President or acting Deputy President;
“Registrar” means the Registrar of the Courts appointed under this Act and includes a Deputy Registrar and an Assistant Registrar;
“trade dispute” means a dispute (including a threatened, impending or probable dispute) as to industrial matters;
“trade union” means a trade union of employees or employers registered under any written law for the time being in force relating to the registration of trade unions;
“transfer of employment” means the transfer of an employee’s employment from the transferor of an undertaking to the transferee under section 18A of the Employment Act;
“transferee” means the person to whom an undertaking is transferred and who becomes the employer of the transferor’s employees by virtue of section 18A of the Employment Act;
“undertaking” includes any trade or business.
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