The Employment Claims Tribunals' jurisdiction over wrongful dismissal claims is a relatively recent development in Singapore employment law. Historically, the concept of "wrongful dismissal" in Singapore was rooted in the common law of contract and concerned primarily whether an employer had lawfully terminated the employment relationship in accordance with the contractual notice provisions.
The statutory regime introduced by the Employment Act in 2019 and administered by the Employment Claims Tribunals, expanded the inquiry beyond the traditional common law focus on notice. The statutory wrongful dismissal jurisdiction under s 14(2) of the Employment Act requires a more nuanced analysis that necessitates consideration of whether the dismissal was affected with "just cause or excuse" within the meaning of the Act.
This issue has gained greater prominence since May 2026 with the publication of the Tribunal decision in JGP v JGQ, the first published ECT decision. The decision illustrates the continuing interaction between traditional common law principles and the broader statutory protections now available to employees through the Employment Claims Tribunals.
Since then, the ECT has published more decisions and there is now an emerging jurisprudence on “wrongful dismissal” without “just cause or excuse”. We have accordingly decided to publish a short summary of the published ECT decisions so that readers have an opportunity to familiarise themselves with the practical impact of recent developments in this important area of the law.
Please find the full update attached.