TADM mediation vs the Employment Claims Tribunal: what's the difference
If you have an employment dispute in Singapore, you will hear both names come up: TADM mediation and the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT). They get talked about as if they were two competing options, but they are not. They are two stages of one process, in a fixed order, and mediation at TADM is compulsory before a claim can be filed at the ECT. This page is about the difference between the two stages themselves, so you can tell which one you are actually dealing with. For the wider journey from raising a problem to a hearing, see the employment dispute process; for what happens inside a mediation session, see the TADM mediation session guide; for the tribunal's claim limits and hearing detail, see the Employment Claims Tribunals guide.
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The short answer: stages, not alternatives
TADM mediation is a mediation session run by the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management, where a mediator helps you and your employer try to reach an agreement. The Employment Claims Tribunals is a court, part of the State Courts, where a tribunal magistrate hears the dispute and makes a binding order. The Singapore Courts state plainly that mediation at TADM is compulsory before claims can be filed at the ECT, so in practice a wrongful dismissal or salary claim starts at TADM. The ECT only comes into the picture for the smaller share of disputes that mediation could not settle.
Side by side: TADM mediation vs the Employment Claims Tribunal
The table below lines up the two stages on the points people actually ask about. Full detail on each is in the linked guides; this is the comparison.
| TADM mediation | Employment Claims Tribunal | |
|---|---|---|
| What it is | A mediation session | A tribunal hearing |
| Where it sits | First, always | After mediation fails |
| Compulsory? | Yes, for every claim | Only if a CRC is issued |
| Who runs it | A TADM mediator | A tribunal magistrate |
| Their role | Facilitates an agreement | Hears and decides |
| Lawyers allowed | No | No |
| Filing fee | $10 or $20 | $30 or $60 |
| Typical length | About 8 weeks | Set at the hearing |
| Claim limit | Same $20,000 / $30,000 cap applies | Same $20,000 / $30,000 cap applies |
| What you get | Settlement Agreement or CRC | Money, dismissal, or reinstatement order |
Two rows are worth reading past the short cell. "Who runs it" and "their role" are the real difference people miss: TADM's mediator does not rule on your claim, they work with both sides to find an agreement, which is why a mediation session can end with nothing decided at all, just a Claim Referral Certificate (CRC) that hands the dispute upward. The ECT's tribunal magistrate is a judge, and the hearing ends with an actual order. On "claim limit", this is deliberately NOT a difference: TADM states that claim limits apply both "when entering into a settlement agreement after mediation" and when lodging a claim at the ECT, so the $20,000 non-union / $30,000 union-assisted cap follows your claim through mediation too, it does not switch on only once you reach the tribunal. Worth knowing the number before you sit down to mediate, not only once you file.
Which one am I actually dealing with right now?
People searching for this comparison are usually trying to place themselves on the map, not learn the whole process from scratch. Match your situation below.
- You just filed a claim, or your employer just filed one against you. You are about to go through TADM mediation. See what happens at a TADM mediation session for who attends, how long it runs, and what happens if a side does not show up.
- Mediation did not resolve it, and you were issued a Claim Referral Certificate. You are now moving into the ECT stage. The CRC is what lets you file the unresolved claim with the Employment Claims Tribunals for a determination, and you have a filing deadline to meet.
- You reached a Settlement Agreement at mediation. The ECT still has one job left to do for you: you must register the Settlement Agreement with the ECT, online through the State Courts' Community Justice and Tribunal System, within 4 weeks of every party signing, for a $10 fee. Registering is what turns it into a legally binding order, so if the other party does not pay, you can enforce it. Skip registration and you have an agreement on paper with no order behind it.
- You have a hearing date at the Employment Claims Tribunals. You are already past mediation. See the Employment Claims Tribunals guide for what the hearing looks like and what orders it can make.
The rule that connects them: mediation before the tribunal
One rule explains almost every question people have about the two: mediation at TADM is compulsory before claims can be filed at the ECT. That single sentence is why there is no such thing as choosing the ECT over mediation, why a mediation session can end without anyone deciding anything, and why the tribunal exists at all, it is there for the dispute mediation genuinely could not settle, not as a first stop.
It also runs the other way. If you are the one responding to a claim and you skip the mediation session, that does not remove the claim. TADM's own rule is that the claimant can then ask for the dispute to be referred to the ECT, which prolongs the resolution of the dispute rather than shortcutting it, and the tribunal may order you to pay costs to the other party for not attending. Disagreeing with a claim is a reason to turn up and make your case at mediation, not a reason to wait for the tribunal.
When to get a lawyer
Because you cannot bring a lawyer into either the mediation session or the ECT hearing itself, the useful moment for legal advice is before either one starts. A lawyer earns their fee working out whether you actually have a claim, what it is realistically worth against the ECT's caps, and how to prepare your documents, not by speaking for you on the day. Worth getting advice early if the facts are contested, the sums involved are large, or you are not sure whether your situation is a salary claim or a wrongful dismissal claim to begin with, since that changes your filing deadline. If you want to talk it through, an employment lawyer in Singapore can review your situation.
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Frequently asked questions
Do I choose between TADM mediation and the Employment Claims Tribunals?
No. They are not two alternative routes you pick between, they are two stages of the same journey, in a fixed order. The Singapore Courts state that mediation at the Tripartite Alliance for Dispute Management (TADM) is compulsory before claims can be filed at the Employment Claims Tribunals (ECT). Every claim starts at TADM; only the ones mediation cannot settle move to the ECT.
Can I skip TADM and go straight to the Employment Claims Tribunals?
No. You may only file a claim at the ECT once your dispute is unresolved after TADM mediation and a TADM mediator has issued you a claim referral certificate. There is no direct-to-tribunal route for a claim the ECT hears.
Who actually decides my case, the mediator or the tribunal magistrate?
Neither decides at the TADM stage. TADM's mediator facilitates the mediation of the claim between you and your employer, working toward an agreement you both accept; nobody there rules for or against you. At the ECT, a judge called the tribunal magistrate hears the case and makes the order, whether that is a money order, a dismissal order, or reinstatement.
Can I bring a lawyer to either stage?
Not to represent you at the session or the hearing itself. Lawyers are not allowed to represent any party in mediation, and lawyers are not allowed to represent parties for ECT matters. Either way, you can still get legal advice before you go in, which is where a lawyer is usually most useful.
Does the $20,000 claim limit apply to TADM mediation too?
Yes. TADM states plainly that claim limits apply both when you enter into a settlement agreement after mediation and when you lodge a claim at the ECT, so the same $20,000 (or $30,000 if your union files on your behalf) cap follows your claim through mediation, not just at the tribunal. It is not a difference between the two stages, it is one Employment Claims Act limit that applies throughout.
What does it cost to go through each stage?
Filing your claim at TADM to start mediation costs $10 for claims of $10,000 or less, and $20 above that. If mediation fails and you get a claim referral certificate, filing your claim at the ECT costs $30 for claims of $10,000 or less, and $60 above that.
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