What the law says on dismissing pregnant staff, after a tribunal awards S$19,800 in a recent case
· Keith Kwai
A CNA explainer published on 19 October notes that an Employment Claims Tribunal last month awarded S$19,800 to a woman found to have been wrongfully dismissed because of her pregnancy and maternity leave. Citing a 7 October parliamentary reply by Acting Manpower Minister Jasmin Lau, it reports 49 pregnancy-related discrimination complaints to TAFEP from 2019 to 2025, and 387 pregnancy-related wrongful dismissal claims at TADM between April 2019 and 2025, of which 301 were resolved through mediation and 27 of the 72 that went on to the tribunal led to compensation. Lawyers interviewed said the Employment Act bars dismissing a doctor-certified pregnant employee with at least three months’ service without sufficient cause unrelated to the pregnancy, and bars giving notice of dismissal during maternity leave.
For the wider legal picture, WorkRightSG, a sister site, covers pregnancy as a protected characteristic under the Workplace Fairness Act.
Source: CNA, 19 Oct 2026 — Read the original