Singapur - Close ties with ruling party (2010)

With the exception of six unions, the rest of the country’s 61 unions are affiliated with the National Trades Union Congress (NTUC), which has close relationship with the ruling People’s Action Party (PAP). The NTUC Secretary General currently serves on the PAP Central Executive Committee. The NTUC secretary general also holds a seat in the Cabinet as a minister in the Prime Minister’s Office. Trade unions may not contribute to political parties, and the NTUC does not permit members supportive of opposition policies to hold office. The NTUC-PAP relationship, which dates back to the founding of the NTUC in 1961, is described as «symbiotic» and was formally endorsed in 1980 at the NTUC Ordinary Delegates Conference. It was publicly reaffirmed in December 2004. Currently, there are 16 PAP MPs with direct or former ties to the NTUC.