In April 2025, the case of N Kayahan Kolan v Marks & Spencer Group PLC (Case Number: 3302722/2024) made headlines when the UK Employment Tribunal ruled in favour of an employee who was dismissed shortly after informing her employer Marks & Spencer of her pregnancy. The tribunal found that the dismissal for reasons connected to the employee’s pregnancy were automatically unfair and discriminatory under English law.

In the Singapore case of Longitude 101 Pte Ltd v Navinea Kanapathy Pillai [2024] SGDC 47 (the Longitude case), the Singapore District Court similarly ruled in favour of a pregnant employee (the employee) who was dismissed by her employer (the employer).

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Factual background

In the Longitude case, the employment contract had a clause that allowed either party to terminate the employment by giving 3 months’ written notice (the contractual termination clause).

Approximately 4 months after the employee notified the employer’s sole shareholder and de facto director of her pregnancy, the employer issued a notice of termination (the termination notice), which stated, among other matters, that:

• the termination was effective from the date of the termination notice, and
• the employee would receive 3 months’ salary in lieu of notice, and an additional bonus of S$15,000.

Apart from citing the contractual termination clause, the employer did not provide other reasons for the employee’s termination.

The employee counter-claimed against her employer...

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