Singapore Court Awards Worker S$26,350 Over Retirement-Age Dismissal and 6-Month Re-Employment Offer
Updated
Updated · CNA · Aug 3
Singapore Court Awards Worker S$26,350 Over Retirement-Age Dismissal and 6-Month Re-Employment Offer
1 articles · Updated · CNA · Aug 3
Summary
A Singapore worker won S$26,350 after a court found his employer wrongfully dismissed him about three months after he reached retirement age and failed to meet re-employment duties.
The ruling turned on two failures: the company treated retirement as an automatic end to employment, and it offered only a six-month re-employment contract without the worker's consent, short of the required one year.
The magistrate also found the process flawed — the man, who turned 63 in March 2025, got an offer only after he asked in June, was given a non-negotiable Jun 17 deadline while on medical leave, and was terminated the next day.
S$14,750 of the award was an employment assistance payment, which remains due when an employer has not made a proper or reasonable re-employment offer even if the worker rejects it.
The case comes as Singapore has raised retirement and re-employment ages to 64 and 69 from Jul 1, with NTUC saying such disputes increased in the past year and urging earlier, more meaningful engagement.