Establishment of the Industrial Arbitration Court

The Industrial Arbitration Court (IAC) officially opened on 24 October 1960 with the passage of the Industrial Relations Ordinance 1960 (later replaced by the Industrial Relations Act). The court was set up to deal with matters concerning employer-employee relations and the settlement of trade disputes.^[1] Due to the high number of industrial disputes in the early 1960s, a second court was constituted in 1962, although it ceased to function in 1970 when industrial peace was restored through tripartite cooperation between employers, labour and the government.^[2]

The functions of the IAC are: to make awards; to certify and register collective agreements; to resolve disputes through a referee; to interpret, set aside or vary awards; and to mediate and provide an advisory service on industrial relations matters.^[3] One of the cases handled by the IAC took place in 1969 when it ruled that the management of a company – Metal Box (Malaysia) Ltd – had the right to introduce shift duties and regulate working hours since such concerns were no longer a matter for collective bargaining.^[4] However, one of the IAC’s most celebrated cases was heard in 1966 when it ordered the Port of Singapore Authority (PSA) to pay $4 million in back wages owed to some 11,500 employees under a new collective agreement that was signed in March the previous year.^[5] The first president of the IAC was Charles Gamba, who held this post until 13 September 1964.^[6]

References
1. Gamba opens state’s first industrial court under new law. (1960, October 24). The Singapore Free Press, p. 1. Retrieved from NewspaperSG; Republic of Singapore. Government Gazette. Acts Supplement. (2004, Jan 1, Rev. ed). Industrial Relations Act (Cap. 136). Retrieved September 18, 2013, from Attorney-General’s Chambers website: http://statutes.agc.gov.sg/aol/search/display/view.w3p;page=0;query=CompId:4a57461a-8e43-4f0e-b084-175ff198fc12;rec=0
2. Ministry of Labour. (1977). Industrial Relations Act: Law and practice (p. 1). Singapore: Ministry of Labour. Call no.: RSING 344.595701 SIN; Industrial   Arbitration Court. (2010). History. Retrieved September 18, 2013 from Industrial Arbitration Court website: http://www.iac.gov.sg/Pages/History.aspx
3. Ministry of Labour, 1977, pp. 5–9.
4. Jeyasegaram, D. G., & Theyvendram, R. (1980). Industrial Arbitration Court awards digest (1960–1979) (pp.434–436). Singapore: [D.G. Jeyasegaram and R. Theyvendram]. Call no.: RSING 344.5957018914 JEY.
5. $4m. back-pay for 11,500 port men. (1966, February 4). The Straits Times, p. 6. Retrieved from NewspapersSG.
6. The Singapore Free Press, 24 Oct 1960, p. 1; Industrial Arbitration Court, 2010, History.