Industrial Relations (Amendment) Bill

This Act may be cited as the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act, 1972 and shall be deemed to have come into operation on the 1st day of July 1972.

Section 24 of the Industrial Relations Act (hereinafter in this Act referred to as “the principal Act”) is hereby amended —

by deleting the words “three years or more than five” appearing in the third line of subsection (3) thereof and substituting therefor the words “two years or more than three”; and

by deleting the words “three years or more than five” appearing in the second and third lines of paragraph (a) of subsection (5) thereof and substituting therefor the words “two years or more than three”.

Section 31 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

by inserting immediately after paragraph (a) thereof the following new paragraph: —“(b)a trade union or an employer who is a party to a trade dispute makes a request in writing to the Registrar that pursuant to subsection (6) of section 46 or subsection (3) of section 46A of the Employment Act (Cap. 122) the trade dispute be submitted to arbitration;”; and

by renumbering the existing paragraphs (b) and (c) thereof as paragraphs (c) and (d) respectively.

Section 34 of the principal Act is hereby repealed and the following substituted therefor: —“Court to have regard to certain matters34.—

In determining a trade dispute a Court may have regard —

not only to the interests of the persons immediately concerned but to the interests of the community as a whole and in particular the condition of the economy of Singapore; and

to the recommendations made from time to time by the Minister under paragraph (b) of subsection (5) of section 46 and section 46B of the Employment Act (Cap. 122) relating to the matters specified in those sections.

In any case where a Court has regard to the recommendations referred to in paragraph (b) of subsection (1) of this section the Court may vary or set aside any of the terms of a collective agreement or award notwithstanding the provisions of section 44 of this Act.”.

Section 38 of the principal Act is hereby amended —

by deleting the word “five” appearing in the third line of subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the word “three”;

by deleting the word “three” appearing in the fifth line of subsection (2) thereof and substituting therefor the word “two”;

by deleting the words “three years or more than five” appearing in the fifth line of subsection (3) thereof and substituting therefor the words “two years or more than three”;

by deleting the words “three years or more than five” appearing in the fifth line of subsection (4) thereof and substituting therefor the words “two years or more than three”; and

by deleting the word “Court” appearing in the fourth line of paragraph (b) of subsection (5) thereof and substituting therefor the word “Registrar”.

Subsection (2) of section 44 of the principal Act is hereby amended by deleting the words “of three years from the date on which an award comes into” appearing in the first and second lines thereof and substituting therefor the words “for which an award is in”.

Where a collective agreement or an award has been made at any time prior to the commencement of the Industrial Relations (Amendment) Act, 1972, either party bound thereby may, notwithstanding the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, at any time on or after the 1st day of May 1974, apply to a Court to vary or amend any or all of the terms of the collective agreement or award.

A Court may, notwithstanding the provisions of the Industrial Relations Act, vary the collective agreement or award in such manner as the Court thinks fit.