On 24/05/2013,
you requested for the version in force on 24/05/2013
incorporating all amendments published on or before 24/05/2013.
The closest version currently available is that of 25/03/1992.
PART II
GENERAL CONDUCT
4. No employee shall —
(a)
at any time commit or cause to be committed any act or omission or behave in such a manner as is likely to cause disrepute, loss, injury or disturbance to the Board or its employees;
(b)
conduct himself in such a manner as to interfere with the proper performance of his duties or those of other Board employees;
(c)
at any time fail to perform his duties faithfully and diligently;
(d)
fail to comply with the directives or instructions of the chief executive officer, his Head of Department or any other person authorised to give instructions to him;
(e)
falsify, forge or otherwise tamper with any record or document of the Board;
(f)
commit any misconduct or neglect his duties;
(g)
fail to take all possible care to prevent loss of or damage to any Board property over which he has custody or control or to which he has access; or
(h)
contravene any rules or regulations made by the Board.
5.
—(1) No employee shall be absent from duty without proper authority or sufficient cause to be shown by him.
(2) An employee cannot claim to have his period of absence from duty on account of illness to be treated as sick leave unless it is supported by a medical certificate certifying that he is unfit to perform the ordinary duties of his appointment which is issued by a Government medical officer or a registered medical practitioner.
(3) An employee who is absent from duty on account of illness shall inform his immediate superior officer within 48 hours of the commencement of his period of absence.
(4) An employee who is absent from duty on account of illness shall be deemed to absent himself from work without proper authority or sufficient cause for the days on which he is so absent if he fails to comply with paragraphs (2) and (3).
(5) An employee shall be deemed to have broken his contract of service with the Board if he has been continuously absent from work for more than two days —
(a)
without prior approval from his Head of Department or without reasonable excuse; or
(b)
without informing his Head of Department of the excuse for such absence.
(6) An employee who is on sick leave, unrecorded leave or short leave granted on grounds of urgent private affairs shall not attend a race meeting of the Bukit Turf Club or any place of entertainment which is open during normal office hours. If an employee is found at a race meeting or a place of entertainment during normal office hours whilst on such leave, the approval for the leave will be automatically revoked and the employee will be deemed to have been absent from duty without leave. In addition to any disciplinary action which may be taken, the employee’s absence from duty without leave will constitute a break in service.
(7) For the purpose of this rule, “registered medical practitioner” means a person registered under the Medical Registration Act [Cap. 174] and includes a person deemed to be so registered under sections 30 and 31 thereof.
6. Every employee shall observe office hours and hours of work as may be determined by the Board from time to time.
7.
—(1) No employee may leave his place of work during working hours without the permission of his superior officer.
(2) No employee working in Singapore may, at any time, leave Singapore without the permission of his Head of Department. Such permission is not required for visits out of Singapore within the Johore Bahru town limits.
(3) No employee working in the Johore Waterworks may, at any time, leave Johore without the permission of his Head of Department.
8. Every employee shall in the course of his employment treat all members of the public with courtesy and consideration.
9.
—(1) Except as provided in this rule, no employee shall orally or otherwise, directly or indirectly, approach or communicate with the Chairman or members of the Board on personal matters arising out of or in the course of, or directly or indirectly connected with his Board employment.
(2) Any employee who wishes to raise such matters with the Chairman or members of the Board shall address his communication thereon in writing through his Head of Department.
(3) The Head of Department who receives such a communication shall forward it without undue delay to the chief executive officer.
(4) If the employee concerned does not receive an acknowledgment from the chief executive officer within 14 days from the date of making his communication, he may send a copy of it to the Chairman or to one or more members of the Board stating that he has not received an acknowledgment to his communication.
10.
—(1) No employee shall, without the written consent of the chief executive officer, contribute either in his own name or under a pseudonym or anonymously, any letter, article, statement or other communication to any newspaper, journal or magazine intended for public distribution on any subject which may, in the opinion of the chief executive officer, be reasonably regarded as affecting or dealing with Board policies or administration or take part publicly, by writing, broadcasting or in any manner whatsoever in discussion of any such subject or of the proceedings of the Board.
(2) No employee may call a public meeting to consider any action of the Board or take part otherwise than by casting a vote in the proceedings of any public meeting called for the purpose.
(3) No employee shall act either as a distributor of any public petition addressed to the Chairman or members of the Board regarding any action or proposal of the Board or as a collector of signatures to any such petition.
11.
—(1) An employee shall treat all official documents, papers and information acquired in his official capacity or otherwise as confidential. He shall not, either during or after his service, copy, extract or translate them for unofficial use or allow others to do so, or directly or indirectly disclose, publish or communicate them to the press or to individuals in any form whatsoever, except in the course of his official duties or with the written permission of the chief executive officer.
(2) An employee, at the time of his first appointment or at any time subsequently, may be called upon to complete an undertaking to observe the secrecy imposed under the Official Secrets Act [Cap. 213] and paragraph (1).
12. No employee may at any time, without the permission of the chief executive officer, allow himself to be interviewed on any Board matter or on any matter of public policy.
13. No employee may, without the permission of the chief executive officer —
(a)
act as editor of any newspaper, magazine, periodical or similar publication except publications of any registered trade union, co-operative society, welfare organisation, sports club, office committee or association of public officers;
(b)
contribute anonymously or publish in any manner anything which may reasonably be regarded as of a political or administrative nature;
(c)
publish any work, the materials for which are compiled from official records and experience and, where permission is granted, the chief executive officer may, impose certain conditions in regard to the employee receiving the fees, royalties and other benefits which he may derive therefrom; or
(d)
act as a distributor or assist in the distribution of any document, hand-bill, or form of any kind (other than a document or form which he is required to distribute in the course of official duty or is empowered to distribute by law).
14. All inventions and improvements thereon at any time discovered or invented by an employee during and in the course of his Board work shall, unless the Board otherwise decides, be the sole and absolute property of the Board and the employee shall, if and whenever required by the Board and at the expense of the Board execute all documents and do all acts and things as may be necessary or desirable to obtain Letters Patent or other adequate protection in Singapore and the Commonwealth and any foreign country and to vest the same in the Board for their exclusive benefit or to grant to the Board such licences as it may desire.
15.
—(1) No employee may —
(a)
directly or indirectly make use of any official information or his official position to further his private interests;
(b)
conduct himself in a manner calculated to bring the Board into disrepute or speak disparagingly of the Government;
(c)
directly or indirectly use or allow others to use the name of his department or his official position to support his own cause or the cause of a staff association, recreation club, union or other private organisation; and
(d)
whether in his personal capacity or as an office-bearer of a staff association, recreation club, union or other private organisation, be concerned in the production of publications of his staff association, recreation club, union or other private organisation in which paid advertisements are reproduced, without prior permission having been obtained from —
(i)
the Head of Department in respect of an association, recreation club, union or other organisation, the membership of which is confined to the staff of the department; or
(ii)
the chief executive officer in respect of an association, recreation club, union or other organisation, the membership of which is open to the staff of the Board.
Such permission may be granted subject to any conditions which the Head of Department or the chief executive officer may think fit to impose.
(2) When an employee seeks permission to participate in the production of publications in accordance with paragraph (1)(d), the employee shall furnish, inter alia, the following information:
(a)
the purpose for which the publication is being produced;
(b)
the number of pages the publication is to contain and how many of these will be set aside for advertisements;
(c)
the scale of charges for advertisements of different sizes; and
(d)
how and by whom advertisements will be canvassed and on what terms.
(3) Before granting such permission, a Head of Department or the chief executive officer shall ensure that —
(a)
the conditions of publication are such that the employee’s participation in the production will not in any way prejudice the reputation of the Board;
(b)
the bona fides of the canvasser or canvassing firms have been verified with the proper authority in cases where a staff association or union proposes to engage the canvasser or canvassing firms to solicit advertisements;
(c)
no message or photograph of himself or any member of the Board is given for publication unless he is satisfied that improper methods of soliciting advertisements are not used — normally a message or photograph may only be given at the stage when the publication is ready to go to the press; and
(d)
proper accounts are kept in connection with the production of the publication.
16. No employee may organise or participate in any form of gambling including raffles and lotteries, during working hours or within official premises or in the Board’s quarters.
17. No employee shall, except with the written consent of the chief executive officer, receive, subscribe to, organise or participate in any way in the collection of money among themselves for any purpose or reason whatsoever, except as a member of a registered co-operative society, or a union or any organisation representing employees of the Board and recognised by the Board as such, acting in accordance with its approved constitution.
18.
—(1) No employee may lend money at interest. An employee may, however, place his money in a deposit or savings account in any bank, finance company, co-operative society or the Post Office Savings Bank of Singapore.
(2) No employee may borrow money from or in any other manner place himself under a pecuniary obligation to any person who —
(a)
is in any way subject to his official authority; or
(b)
has official dealings with him.
(3) No employee may sign a promissory note or an acknowledgment of indebtedness in any form either as principal or surety.
(4) Paragraph (3) shall not apply to —
(a)
sums borrowed on sufficient security of land or house charged or mortgaged;
(b)
bank overdrafts;
(c)
loans from insurance companies on the security of insurance policies;
(d)
loans from the Board, co-operative societies or building societies;
(e)
sums outstanding under hire-purchase agreements;
(f)
sums borrowed on personal properties pledged in pawn shops; and
(g)
sums outstanding in respect of household expenditure if paid within the month following that in which they were incurred.
19.
—(1) An employee who is financially embarrassed or who makes a false declaration of non-indebtedness renders himself liable to disciplinary proceedings which may lead to his dismissal from the service of the Board.
(2) An employee shall be deemed to be financially embarrassed if —
(a)
he is an undischarged bankrupt;
(b)
he signs a promissory note or an acknowledgment of indebtedness in contravention of rule 18(3); or
(c)
at any time the total of his unsecured debts and liabilities exceeds 3 months’ emoluments.
(3) An employee who is reported to be a judgment debtor by the Official Assignee or the Registrar of the Supreme Court or the Subordinate Courts shall be deemed to be financially embarrassed.
(4) The Head of Department shall ensure that every employee employed in his department makes a declaration on the requisite form as to whether or not he is free from financial embarrassment, on the following occasions:
(a)
on his first appointment to the service of the Board;
(b)
before he is emplaced on the permanent establishment; and
(c)
annually on 1st July for the preceding one-year period, and that declaration shall be completed within the first 3 weeks of that month,
and filed in the employee’s personal file.
20.
—(1) No employee shall, except on the occasion of his departure on retirement —
(a)
receive from his subordinate officers any personal gifts or token of value (other than the ordinary gifts of personal friends), whether in the form of money, goods, free passages or other personal benefits; and
(b)
accept invitations to be entertained, by reason of his official status, by subordinate officers or any association comprising them, except with the prior approval of the chief executive officer.
(2) Where an employee’s subordinate officers propose to make a presentation to him or to arrange entertainment for him, on the occasion of his retirement, the organiser of the function shall seek the prior permission of the chief executive officer and furnish the chief executive officer with the following information:
(a)
the nature and value of the gift to be presented to the employee;
(b)
the number of persons contributing towards the gift;
(c)
the amount of contribution per person towards the gift;
(d)
the form of entertainment;
(e)
the venue, date and time of the entertainment;
(f)
the number of persons participating in the entertainment; and
(g)
the amount of contribution per person towards the entertainment.
(3) The chief executive officer may approve the application for the presentation of a gift or the entertainment, or both, to an employee on the occasion of his retirement if he is satisfied that —
(a)
there is no multiplicity of functions for each occasion of retirement;
(b)
the entertainment is on a modest scale;
(c)
the participation in any of the functions is entirely voluntary; and
(d)
the contribution for the gift and entertainment by each person does not exceed 2% of his total monthly emoluments.
(4) No employee shall receive from the public any gift (other than ordinary gifts of personal friends), whether in the form of money, goods, free passages or other personal benefits. He must firmly decline and return wherever possible, any gift offered by the public. If, however, the circumstances are such that it is impracticable to refuse such a gift (e.g. no previous notice of the intention to offer a gift is given) or it would be discourteous to return the gift, the employee must, without delay, report the circumstances to the chief executive officer and hand over the gift for transmission to the Director of Finance for valuation. The chief executive officer may permit the employee to retain the gift on payment of its value to the Director of Finance.
(5) An employee may receive a gift from another government or foreign mission for services rendered with the approval of the Board and the concurrence of the Government. He must, on receipt of such a gift, report the circumstances to the chief executive officer and hand over the gift for transmission to the Director of Finance for valuation. The chief executive officer may permit the officer to retain the gift on payment of the sum as may be determined by the Director of Finance. Where a reciprocal gift is considered appropriate, the approval of the Board and concurrence of the Government will be sought to provide this gift at the Board’s expense.
(6) No employee may accept entertainment from or entertain members of the public which is of such a character as to place him under any real or apparent obligation to the members of the public concerned. He may, however, accept invitations from personal friends.
(7) When an employee receives an invitation from the public to attend a function in a representative capacity by virtue of his official position, he shall consult the chief executive officer on the matter. The chief executive officer may permit the employee to attend the function but where the invitation is received by more than one employee in the same department, he will decide which employee or employees will attend the function.
(8) Employees who are elected office-bearers of unions, co-operative societies or social service organisations shall be exempted from the restrictions set out in paragraphs (6) and (7) when they are invited to attend social functions as representatives of their organisations.
(9) The instructions on the acceptance of gifts or entertainment defined in paragraphs (4) to (7) apply not only to the employee himself but also to his wife, children and other dependants who are ordinarily residing with him and the employee shall be held responsible for their observance.
21.
—(1) Every employee shall with effect from 1st January 1972 forward to the chief executive officer a signed list of his investments in stocks, shares or landed properties and the nature of his interest in connection thereto.
(2) Except as provided in paragraph (3), no employee may, without the permission of the chief executive officer, directly or indirectly acquire any stock, shares or hold interest in any company or firm or invest in landed properties.
(3) An employee may invest in stock, or shares in a public joint stock company which has a paid-up capital of not less than $1 million, subject to the requirements of paragraph (4) where applicable, provided that such investments will not bring the officer’s private interest into real or apparent conflict with his duties. If he is in doubt as to whether his investing in any particular stock, shares or landed properties may influence him in the discharge of his duties, he shall consult the chief executive officer before making the investments. If the chief executive officer decides that his private interests may be in real or apparent conflict with his duties or may in any way influence him in the discharge of his duties, he shall require him to refrain from making the investments.
(4) An employee shall, if required to do so by the chief executive officer, submit to the chief executive officer, a notification of his investments in or sales of new issues of share purchased at their issue prices, on the following occasions:
(a)
if he intends taking up an allotment of shares in a new issue, whether in full or in part — this notification shall be submitted at least two weeks before the date of intended purchase;
(b)
after he has purchased (if no objection to the proposed purchase is received by the date of intended purchase) or sold any of the shares in a new issue — this notification shall be submitted within one month of the transaction; and
(c)
annually on 1st July — this notification will reflect the employee’s holdings as at 30th June each year and shall be submitted within the first two weeks of July. A “Nil” return is necessary.
Shares purchased from the stock market at their market price need not be declared unless the officer is specifically requested to do so.
(5) An employee who has been given permission under paragraph (2) to invest must, whenever his duties are substantially changed or when he is promoted or transferred to another department, bring the matter to the notice of the chief executive officer, so that his case may be reviewed.
22.
—(1) The whole of an employee’s time is at the disposal of the Board. Except as provided in paragraph (2), no employee may, without the written approval of the chief executive officer —
(a)
engage in any trade or business;
(b)
take part, directly or indirectly, in the management or proceedings of any commercial, agricultural or industrial undertakings;
(c)
undertake, directly or indirectly, for payment any work for an employer other than the Board;
(d)
furnish any report as an expert or give expert evidence, whether for payment or gratuitiously; or
(e)
act as executor, administrator or receiver.
(2) An application from an employee for permission to undertake part-time lecturing or teaching outside normal working hours and to retain the fees derived therefrom may be approved by the chief executive officer for a period not exceeding one year at a time provided that —
(a)
the period involved does not exceed 6 hours per week; and
(b)
the part-time work will not adversely affect the employee’s official duties, and if the employee is a probationer, or is to fulfil any examination requirements under the terms of his appointment, that part-time work will not adversely affect the passing of the examinations.
Note: Notes and other work relating to the part-time lectures shall not be prepared during normal working hours. When there is reason to believe that the employee’s part-time employment is adversely affecting his official duties, the approval given shall be withdrawn forthwith.
23.
—(1) No employee may institute legal proceedings in his own personal interest in connection with matters arising out of his official duties without first obtaining the approval of the chief executive officer.
(2) Any employee who receives a notice of intended institution of legal proceedings against him in his official capacity will immediately report the matter to his Head of Department who will consult the legal officer of the Board.
(3) The Board may give legal assistance to an employee in connection with legal proceedings undertaken by or against him in his official capacity. Any employee desiring such legal assistance may apply to his Head of Department who will consult the legal officer.