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18 Comp. Lab. L.J. 102 (1996-1997)
Government Influence on Labor Unions in a Newly Industrialized Economy: A Look at the Singapore Labor System

handle is hein.journals/cllpj18 and id is 112 raw text is: GOVERNMENT INFLUENCE ON LABOR UNIONS IN A NEWLY INDUSTRIALIZED ECONOMY: A LOOK AT THE SINGAPORE LABOR SYSTEM ELIZABETH C. SURINt I. INTRODUCTION It is not uncommon to encounter a labor system in which the labor statutes do not mirror labor practice. For instance, the Singapore Trade Unions Act appears to allow strikes or industrial action if the majority of union members desires such action.' However, the application of the Act differs greatly in practice. For example, only the government may permit strikes,2 due to fears of revolts, riots, and other worker uprisings that might affect public safety and disrupt the communal harmony upon which Singapore prides itself. This disparity between the theory behind Singapore's labor law and the practice of industrial relations clearly demonstrates that legal rules must be analyzed within a social and political context. To better understand a country's labor relations, one must examine the implementation of the country's labor laws within its socioeconomic and political setting. Furthermore, the analysis of a particular labor system within its socioeconomic and political climate advances a better comprehension of the application of labor laws in other systems. This Comment examines the sociopolitical and economic frame- works within which the labor laws and industrial relations structure in Singapore operate, thereby offering a better understanding of the t B.A 1994, Wellesley College, Massachusetts; J.D. Candidate 1997, University of Pennsylvania Law School. Special thanks to Professor Clyde Summers for his invaluable guidance in the writing of this Comment, and to Jason D. Weintraub for his constructive criticisms and technical support. I. See Trade Unions Act, pt. IV, § 27(1), ch. 333, Stat. of Rep. of Singapore (Rev. ed. 1985) (A registered trade union shall not commence, promote, organise or finance any strike or any form of industrial action affecting the whole or any section of its members without obtaining the consent, by secret ballot, of the majority of the members so affected.). The reader should note that different publications of this Act may contain slightly different systems for numbering the Act's sections. The Trade Unions Act was codified as chapter 129 in the 1970 edition. 2. See Chris Leggett, Singapore, in LABOUR LAW AND INDUSTRIAL RELATIONS IN ASIA 96, 103 (Stephen J. Deery et al. eds., 1993).

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