CBFL Seminar: Labour Movement, Employment and Industrial Relations Law in Singapore by Patrick Tay Teck Guan, Member of Parliament & Assistant Secretary-General, NTUC

NUS Law’s Centre for Banking and Finance Law was privileged to host Mr Patrick Tay, Member of Parliament (Pioneer SMC) and Assistant Secretary-General in the NTUC, to speak to students, practitioners and members of the public on the topic ‘Labour Movement, Employment and Industrial Relations Law in Singapore’ on Tuesday 18 March 2025.

Mr Tay provided a panoramic view of the evolution of the labour movement in Singapore, emphasising the tripartite alliance between the National Trade Union Congress, Ministry of Manpower, and Singapore National Employers Federation. He offered an overview of the state of employment-related legislation (covering employment protection and minimum standards, industrial relations, workplace health and safety, social security, retirement and foreign manpower). Explaining how tripartite guidelines, advisories and standards supplement the law, Mr Tay provided insights into how labour regulations are carefully developed and fine-tuned, as well as how different forms of regulation interact and serve to promote progressive practices in the workplace and beyond.

Touching on contemporary developments in 2024 and 2025, Mr Tay shared the background to recent reforms including the Tripartite Guidelines for Flexible Work Arrangement Requests (for women and caregivers), the Platform Workers Act 2024 (strengthening protections for platform workers), and the recent Workplace Fairness Act 2025 (a landmark legislation dealing with workplace discrimination).

A lively question and answer session was moderated by Associate Professor Tan Zhong Xing, covering questions on the state of labour law in Singapore and possible future directions it might take. Along the way, Mr Tay shared memorable anecdotes of his time as an LLB and LLM student at NUS Law, his deep and varied experience in various governmental bodies, and the fascinating process of legislative reform in the space of labour law.