Industrial Relations Act 1960 · 2020 Revised Edition · Part 7 · Procedure and Powers of Courts
61. Particular powers of Courts
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A Court may in relation to a trade dispute of which it has cognizance or any other matter before it —
Court
“Court” means an Industrial Arbitration Court established under section 3;
take evidence on oath or affirmation;
summon before it the parties to the trade dispute or matter and witnesses and compel the production before it of books, papers, documents and things;
trade dispute
“trade dispute” means a dispute (including a threatened, impending or probable dispute) as to industrial matters;
hear and determine the trade dispute or matter in the absence of a party who has been summoned or served with notice to appear;
conduct its proceedings or any part of its proceedings in private;
refer a matter to an expert and accept his report as evidence;
direct parties to be joined or struck out;
order the reinstatement of a dismissed employee or the resumption of a platform worker’s provision of a platform service for a platform operator (as the case may be) or grant such other relief as it may consider desirable;
employee
“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;
dismiss the trade dispute or matter or part thereof if it appears that it is trivial or that further proceedings are not necessary or desirable in the public interest or that, having regard to the provisions of any relevant award made by a Court, or of any relevant collective agreement registered under this Act or made before 15 September 1960 and not so registered, the trade dispute or matter or part thereof ought to be dismissed; and
generally give all such directions and do all such things as are necessary or expedient for the expeditious and just hearing and determination of the trade dispute or matter.