Speech on Second Reading for the Workplace Fairness (Dispute Resolution) Bill by NTUC Deputy Secretary-General Desmond Tan on 4 Nov 2025

Mr Speaker Sir,

I declare my interest as Deputy Secretary-General of NTUC, the Executive Secretary of the Singapore Industrial & Services Employees’ Union (SISEU) and co-chair of the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment (TWG-SE).

Age discrimination remains a concern at workplaces

During the debate on the Workplace Fairness Bill earlier this year, Brother Heng Chee How emphasised how an ageing population is a major challenge for global economies. Beyond affecting individual workers, age discrimination can reduce our economy’s overall competitiveness and productivity.

Through my engagements with union leaders, individuals and workers of different segments, I have also heard concerns from seniors about ageism in hiring, training and promotion. I have covered some of these topics in my earlier Motion of Thanks Speech.

Globally, we see that age discrimination at workplaces has led to significant legal consequences. In the United States (US), IBM¹ faced lawsuits over layoffs since 2016 that allegedly targeted older workers. More recently, Ikea² settled five lawsuits for passing over older workers for promotions and unfairly labelling them as lacking “potential”.

These cases show how age discrimination, if unaddressed, can lead to costly legal battles and fractured workplace cultures.

WFA strengthen protection against discrimination including ageism

This is why the Workplace Fairness Act (WFA) is an important step that prohibits workplace discrimination based on protected characteristics, including age. Today, I welcome the introduction of the Dispute Resolution Bill which sets out the process for individuals to make claims against firms if they experience workplace discrimination.

These are timely measures as Singapore is expected to become a super-aged society in 2026³. For senior workers, discrimination often compounds existing anxieties, including job security, re-employment or skills relevance. It is therefore vital to provide a trusted and accessible avenue for redress, giving them confidence and dignity at work.

Therefore, I thank the Government for working closely with tripartite partners to design the dispute resolution process that ensures workers, including our seniors, have a fair, accessible and effective pathway to their WFA claims.

Role of NTUC and unions to ensure fair employment practices

Mr Speaker Sir, beyond formal mediation and tribunals, NTUC and our unions play a critical role in supporting our members to obtain fair and early resolution for workplace disputes.

As the Executive Secretary of SISEU, I see our Union Leaders and Industrial Relations Officers working tirelessly to support our members.

Last year, SISEU handled over 100 individual grievance cases, including PMEs and members from non-unionised firms. Most were resolved amicably at the union level through mediation.

Let me share an example: SISEU supported a wrongful dismissal case involving a PME in his mid-40s, terminated with one month’s notice despite a satisfactory performance and without clear explanation. Through union mediation, he secured approximately $55,000 in compensation, more than if he had escalated to the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT).

Challenges faced by senior workers to seek redress

Age discrimination in the workplace is often subtle and difficult to detect as it can take the form of indirect practices. On the ground, it is not uncommon to hear that when companies downsize, older workers are often the first to be let go.

SISEU highlighted a case where a company asked employees nearing retirement age to resign voluntarily or risked losing medical benefits, only to replace them with new younger workers. With union intervention, the company recognised the violation and took corrective action.

While this may have stemmed from a new management unfamiliar with local norms, it underscores how similar cases and practices could be adopted elsewhere, whether intentional or otherwise.

As Mr Lee Kuan Yew once said, “Self-respect is what our trade unions have and will give to our workers – that protection for a man’s right to his own dignity.⁴”

This Bill puts that that principle into action. Senior workers now have stronger legal protection against disguised bias, where NTUC and our unions can better represent workers in resolving disputes and restoring this important dignity.

Before any dispute escalates to the ECT, NTUC provides accessible support for our members. Our LawWorks Legal Clinic through our partnership with ProBono SG and their network of volunteer lawyers offers complimentary basic legal advice to members, including for employment and workplace-related matters. We will similarly extend this support to provide advice to members for discrimination cases under WFA as well. For members in unionised companies, they can, in addition to the Legal Clinic, continue to rely on our Industrial Relations Officers who are well-versed in Industrial Relations Act and workplace matters and equip to represent our workers to the best of ability.

Foster age-friendly workplaces that support senior workers

Beyond discrimination at work, many senior workers report applying for numerous jobs but receiving silent rejection. In my earlier Motion of Thanks Speech, I shared one such real-life story and also urged employers to better recognise the expertise accumulated from years of experience of our senior workers.

As recruitment becomes increasingly digital, we must also guard against age bias in AI-based hiring tools.

In the United States, Workday Inc⁵, one of the world’s largest HR software providers, is facing a collective-action lawsuit based on claims that its AI-powered recruitment system discriminated against candidates above 40 years old. This shows that even well-established platforms are not immune to bias, and that algorithmic discrimination is a real and emerging risk.

NTUC asks for stronger guidance and governance standards for AI-powered HR systems to ensure that technology promotes fairness, not perpetuate hidden discrimination. This includes working with tripartite partners to develop fair hiring standards for the use of AI, and to equip our HR practitioners with the right skills and tools to detect and mitigate algorithmic bias.

Extension of claims limits for other employment disputes

Given the varied nature of grievance cases, the Government should actively collate data and conduct regular review of the legislation in collaboration with tripartite partners to ensure it remains responsive to the evolving societal norms and workforce demographics.

One suggestion is to review the ECT limit for other workplace claims. Given the advantages of the ECT in granting more workers, including PMEs, access to justice, we ask that the Ministry do consider expanding the ECT claims limit for other workplace claims beyond workplace discrimination, including salary dispute and unfair dismissal. This is especially if the expanded ECT for WFA claims works well going forward.

Mr Speaker, I will now speak in Mandarin please.

议长先生，《职场 公平法令》对维护年长员工 的权益和尊严，至关重要。新加坡将在2026年进入超老龄化社会，而我们的年长员工往往面对工作保障、再就业、技能再培训等等方面感到压力和不安。这项法令 将确保 年长员工 有一个 申诉途径，帮助他们 在工作中 重拾尊严和信心。

《职场公平法令》以及《职场公平（纠纷解决）法案》，通过由法官主导的“雇佣纠纷 索偿庭”，以调解为先的做法，以及无高昂法律费用的途径，确保包括年长员工在内的所有雇员，都能够 以公平、有效和便捷 的方式，处理职场公平相关的索赔。

在此，我要感谢人力部和劳资政三方合作伙伴 对维护职场公平，特别是对年长员工的关注。正所谓：“长者如玉， 国之瑰宝“，在这个数码时代，我们必须持续支持年长者在工作和社交环境中保持积极参与，让他们能够有尊严、有信心地安享晚年。

Conclusion

In closing, Mr Speaker, this Bill gives senior workers stronger protection, along with better access to union representation through the expanded claims framework. This is a significant step forward in ensuring fair treatment.

Beyond legal protections, we must build workplace cultures that respect and empower workers of all ages – where experience is seen as an asset, not a liability. This is a key priority of tripartite partners under the Tripartite Workgroup on Senior Employment, which I co-chair.

Mr Speaker, I support the Bill.