EL & IR

Under the Employment Act, an employee is defined as one who is paid a basic gross salary amounting to _____________.

$2500

For an employee with a monthly basic gross salary of up to $2,600, the salary cap for the calculation of overtime pay is:

$2600

Under the Employment of Foreign Manpower Act, a P1 Employment Pass may be issued to applicants earning a fixed salary of more than __________ and possess acceptable qualifications.

$8000

What is covered under Part IV of the Act?

- Rest day Work on rest day Hours of work Overtime Shift work

Part IV of the Employment Act, which provides for rest days, hours of work, and other conditions of service, only applies to:

-A workman (doing manual labour) earning a basic monthly salary of not more than $4,500. -An employee who is not a workman, but who is covered by the Employment Act and earns a monthly basic salary of not more than $2600.

Guidelines for inquiry on dismissal

-The employee should be told of their alleged misconduct. -The employee should have the opportunity to present their case. -The person hearing the inquiry should not be in a position which may suggest bias.

The minimum amount of notice that an employer has to give an employee who has worked for him for 3 weeks is:

1 day

A trade union must be registered within _________ after it is formed

1 month

Under the Employment Act 1968, the minimum amount of notice that an employer has to give an employee who has worked for him for 1 year is:

1 week

The Industrial Relations Panel of the Singapore National Employers Federation consists of ____ industry groups.

16

The SNEF's Industrial Relations Panel assists the Council to formulate SNEF's policies on industrial relations and labour-management issues. How many industry groups are there in the Panel?

16

The National Wages Council was first established in the year:

1972

How many members does the NTUC Central Committee consist of?

21

Under the Employment Act, with effect from _________________, your contract of service cannot provide for an Annual Wage Supplement (AWS) of more than one month in one year.

26 August 1988

Under the Employment Act 1968, the minimum amount of notice that an employer has to give an employee who has worked for him for 6 years is:

4 weeks

The current retirement age under the Retirement and Re-employment Act in Singapore is:

63

The Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA) in 2012 stipulates that employers have to offer re-employment to eligible employees who turn 63, up to the age of ________ years.

68

Under the Employment Act, if you have served an employer for a period of not less than 3 months, you are entitled to paid annual leave of _________ in respect of the first 12 months of continuous service.

7 days and an additional one day's paid annual leave for every subsequent 12 months of continuous service with the same employer subject to a maximum of 14 days

Under Part IV of the Employment Act on Minimum Conditions of Service/ Employment, an employee may be allowed to do up to ____ hours of overtime work per month.

72

What is meant by the term `collective bargaining'?

A process by which a union negotiates with an employer on behalf of its members on matters concerning the terms and conditions of employment

What are the basic elements in Dunlop's classic model of the industrial relations system?

Actors/ideologies/rules/environmental context

Industrial relations in Singapore in the 1950s and early 1960s was ____________________________.

Adversarial and confrontational

There are three tiers of union leadership in Singapore. They are:

Branch and Executive and National Committee Level All elected via secret ballot. Workers who are members of the trade union in a company elect their branch leaders. The next layer is the executive committee of a union. Officials from the executive committee are drawn from the branches. At the national level there is the Central Committee of the NTUC.

Which of the following methods are used in Industrial Relations System?

Collective Bargaining/Discipline Procedure/Grievance Procedure

Essential clauses of Contract of Service

Commencement of employment; Appointment job title and job scope; Hours of work; Probation period, if any; Remuneration; Employee's benefits (e.g. sick leave, annual leave, maternity leave); Termination of contract notice period; and Code of conduct (e.g. punctuality, no fighting at work).

The scope of IR includes:

Employer and employee relation/Employee and trade union relation/Employer and employee and trade union relation

Employers' organisations can discharge their roles and participate effectively in tripartism only if certain pre-conditions are fulfilled. What are the pre-conditions?

Employers need to unite and make their organisation representative of employer interests/The organisation should be highly professional - it should have the means (staff and knowledge and skills) to prepare and support and debate positions/Labour and social policy like economic policy has to be formulated on relevant facts and data/employers' organisation should also cultivate relationship with as many representatives of employees as possible/must also gain the confidence of the government so that consultation can take place

What can a union do once it is `recognised'?

Engage in collective bargaining with an employer for the purpose of arriving at a collective agreement

True or False: Executives in rank-and-file unions can organise industrial actions on behalf of the membership.

False

True or False: Executives in rank-and-file unions can participate in industrial actions.

False

True or False: Executives in rank-and-file unions can take part in a secret ballot for industrial actions

False

Allowed salary deductions

For absence from work For damage or loss of money or goods For supplying accommodation, amenities, services For recovering advances, loans, overpaid salary or unearned employment benefits For CPF contributions For payments to any registered co-operative society For other purposes for which you consent in writing and your employer allows you to withdraw your written consent at any time

You are an independent contractor if:

Free to take on work from other sources; Provides tools and equipment to get the job done; Decides on how the task is to be carried out; Decides on the hours of work; May hire others to get the job done; No benefits of sorts from the client; No vacation pay, and no restrictions on hours of work, or time off; All expenses are paid for by you; You are paid by the job as based on its contracted value; Submits an invoice to the client for payment; You are not bound to accept work.

Observance by states of the basic principles of the ILO Convention relating to ____________________________________ is often regarded as the yardstick by which a country's recognition of organizations of workers and employers as autonomous, independent bodies, subject neither to their domination by each other or by the government.

Freedom of Association and Protection of the Right to Organize No. 87

Key Employment Terms

Full name of employer Full name of employee Job title, main duties and responsibilities Start date of employment Duration of employment Working arrangements Salary period Basic salary Fixed allowances Fixed deductions Overtime rate of pay Other salary related components Type of leave Other medical benefits Probation period Notice period Place of work (optional)

Which parties are generally considered to be the main actors in the employment relationship?

Government/Unions/Management

The three actors/parties in tripartism are:

Government/Unions/Management (sometimes also employees)

What are the Labour-Related Legislation (Acts of Parliament)?

Holidays Act/Trade Disputes Act/Enlistment Act

Which legislation deals with collective bargaining in Singapore?

Industrial Relations Act

Which of the following factors affects IR?

Institutional factor/economic factor/social factor

Which of the following best explains the term `union ballots'?

It is the system by which union members vote for e.g. industrial action. A registered trade union must first conduct a secret ballot and obtain the consent of the majority of its members that would be affected by the industrial action if it takes place.

Employees in the workplace often talk of "us" and "them". Which frame of reference does this reflect?

Marxist

Can the State intervene into employment relationship as an employer/legislator/income regulator?

No

The salary cap of an employee under the Industrial Relations Act eligible for tripartite mediation is pegged at:

No salary cap

Which of the following parts of the Act deals with problems of work hour restrictions?

Part IV: Minimum Conditions of Service

"The balance of power is not vested with any one group; rather, it is maintained between the parties to the industrial relations." This is the essence of the:

Pluralist approach

Main aspects of industrial relations are

Promotion and development of healthy manager and labor relation/Maintenance of industrial peace and avoidance of industrial dispute/Development of industrial democracy

Which jobs are not covered by the Employment Act?

Seafarers/Domestic workers/Statutory board or Government

Under the Retirement and Re-employment Act (RRA), employees are eligible for reemployment if they meet which criteria:

Singapore citizen or Singapore permanent resident/Served the current employer for at least 3 years before turning 62/Satisfactory work performance/Medically fit

Which rights are addressed mainly in the Industrial Relations Act?

The right of the employer to hire and fire/The right of the employer to redeploy the employees/The right of the employer to promote and to make employees redundant

What are the objectives of the State in employment relations?

To ensure price stability/To maintain high levels of employment /To maintain a balance of payment surplus

The State's objective in intervening in employment relations is to achieve economic and social goals for the country. It has to achieve four broad economic policy objectives, each one of which can easily conflict with the others. What are the objectives?

To maintain high levels of employment/to ensure price stability/to maintain a balance of payment surplus/to ensure a stable exchange rate

Which Act of Parliament requires a dispute to be submitted for arbitration once it is recognised by the State?

Trade Disputes Act

Pluralistic approach perceives _________ as legitimate representative of employee interests.

Trade unions. pluralistic approach sees unions as a legitimate representative of the employees even though their interests may differ from that of management.

What are some services provided by employer association?

Training and development programs/Represent member companies at industrial tribunals/To provide specialised legal and industrial relations services

TAFEP stands for:

Tripartite Alliance for Fair and Progressive Employment Practices

True or False: Executives in rank-and-file unions can be elected into a leadership position.

True

Jane has worked for her current employer for slightly more than 3 years and decide to tender her resignation by giving notice. Her contract of employment was silent on he notice period. How much notice period must she give to her employer?

Two weeks

Which frame of reference views the natural state of organisations as one of harmony and cooperation?

Unitarism

That the authority rests solely with the management with no right to anyone to challenge it is the basis of the _____________________

Unitary approach as it makes the assumption that the employee interests are aligned with that of management and hence no need to challenge its authority.

You are an employee if:

Works exclusively for the employer who pays your remuneration; The employer provides tools required to get the work done; The employer states the duties; The employer decides on the working hours; The employee must perform services according to his/her capabilities; Payment into a pension/provident fund; You are entitled to paid vacation pay; The employer pays or reimburses all expenses paid in getting the job done; You receives a salary or hourly wage; You reports to work on a regular basis.

In employment relations, the term used to describe either a break-down in negotiations, or when no acceptable agreement is reached, is often called:

a failure to agree

Under Part III of the Employment Act on Payment of Salary and Types of Deductions Allowed, employees must be paid at least once:

a month

The E-Pass is designed for:

applicants earning a fixed monthly salary of more than $5000 with recognised qualifications.

The Tripartite Guidelines on Managing Excess Manpower adopted the principles of:

close consultations and transparency/leadership by example/spirit of equal sacrifice

The second role of an employers' organisation - not relevant to the subject of tripartism - is the provision of ________________________.

direct services to members

Examples where dismissal is wrongful

discrimination, deprivation of benefit, or to punish an employee for exercising his employment right. If an employer gives a reason for dismissal with notice, but the reason given is proven to be false, the dismissal would also be wrongful.

After misconduct found, what can employers do?

downgrade employee, suspend for 1 week without pay, terminate without notice with no salary in lieu of notice

The NWC was set up to formulate wage guidelines to be in line with long-term economic growth; so that Singapore's _________ and _____________ would not be undermined.

economic and social development The NWC was set up at a time when Singapore was undergoing a period of rapid industrialization to address concerns that high wage expectations would lead to serious industrial disputes impacting on economic and social development.

Ways in which union members can participate in union activities is by:

holding office/participating in meetings/voting

The National Wages Council's guidelines are:

not legally enforceable

Singapore's legal and institutional frameworks of industrial relations were shaped and modified by the Government whose priorities between the 1960s and 1980s were firmly on maintaining industrial peace as a prerequisite for _________________.

rapid industrialization. The legal and institutional frameworks were meant to reduce industrial strife for rapid industrialization bearing in mind in the early years - we have no track record to show for.

In a collective agreement, substantive rules are those which determine:

rates of pay and how levels are determined

Define work rules

rules that govern compensation and rules that specify employees' and employers' job rights and obligations

The labour movement's action is "inimitable" because

the pro-business stance Singapore takes is not likely to be replicable in many other countries/requires full trust in management on the part of the unions that management will reward them fairly when companies perform well/must also be supported by the belief that a macro approach to secure jobs and a livelihood for workers by making companies more productive at the national level is more sustainable than focusing on fighting for short-term gains for a smaller group of workers at the individual company-level.

An employers' organization should be viewed as both a lobbying and service organization. The lobbying role is initially more important under which approach?

the transitional economy to market approach which is to ensure successful transition

Examples of misconduct

theft, dishonesty, disorderly or immoral conduct at work, insubordination and bringing the organisation into disrepute

The purpose of "cheaper, better, faster" is:

to proactively encourage and assist employers to improve their work processes using new technology.

The principal objectives of trade unions in Singapore are:

to promote good industrial relations/to improve the working conditions of workmen or enhance their economic and social status/to increase productivity for the benefit of workmen and employers and the Singapore economy

Which are the 3 approaches to industrial relations?

unitary approach/pluralistic approach/marxist approach

The input-driven growth approach where Singapore's economy grew rapidly from the expanding population is:

unsustainable

The Work Permit (WP) is for foreigners who:

want to work in Singapore and earn a monthly basic salary of not more than $1800

The "focal point" of labour relations represents?

work rules