Industrial disputes have been rare in Singapore over the past decades as the authorities put in place measures that allow consultations involving the workers, the employers and the government, while at the same time putting in place legal rules that make it as difficult as it can be to have a legal strike.

Under Singapore law, workers in essential services such as transport and public utilities must give their employer at least 14 days' advance notice of their intention to have a strike. The notice has to be signed by at least seven fellow workers involved in the strike or by at least seven union representatives of the workers. The notice then needs to be acknowledged and signed by the employer, after which, that notice needs to be put up in at least three conspicuous places where the workers are employed.

Singapore's Minister of State for Trade and Industry Teo Ser Luck told local broadcaster Channel NewsAsia that the strong action of the government against the workers, who were mostly not represented by a labor union, will give companies and investors here and potential investors the assurance about the country's stable labor-employer relations.

However, some of the observers said that the incident also raised questions as to how Singapore manages its industrial relations. A blogger said that it may be a bit too stretched when there were no strikes over the past decades.

Eugene Tan, an assistant professor with the Singapore Management University and a nominated member of parliament, said the incident actually reflects a failure in industrial relations.

"The issue has been brewing for a while and obviously it would seem that the workers didn't have sufficient channel for their grievances to be addressed and they have taken the rather drastic action of staging an illegal strike. In a way the illegal strike has worked. It has brought their grievances out publicly," he said. "Ultimately, even if this strike is now over, it wouldn't do good for SMRT if the drivers are unhappy."