NTUC expands legal assistance panel to cover more services from Jan 2026

SINGAPORE: From January 1, 2026, National Trades Union Congress (NTUC) members will have access to a wider range of legal help, as the labour movement expands its Legal Assistance Panel (LAP) to better meet members’ changing needs.

The enhancements, announced on December 19, 2025, are aimed at giving union members more affordable and accessible legal support, especially as work arrangements, family structures and lifestyles continue to evolve.

More types of legal help under expanded services

With this expanded LAP, the NTUC seeks to introduce several new service areas. These include help with enforcing court judgments and orders. It will also help give general legal advice and litigation matters such as contract disputes, personal injury and defamation cases to its members. Finally, it also aims to provide support for cases involving protection from harassment.

NTUC said these additions reflect the growing range of legal issues faced by members, both at work and in their personal lives.

Insights gained from two years of running the scheme

NTUC Assistant Secretary-General Patrick Tay said the experience of running the LAP over the past two years has provided valuable insights into what members need.

More than 700 union members have used the LAP so far. Many of them are professionals, managers and executives aged between 46 and 63, who are dealing with increasingly complex issues at work while also managing family and personal responsibilities.

Mr Tay added NTUC is committed to ensuring members can access trusted and affordable legal guidance whenever they need it, as their needs continue to diversify.

“Looking forward, we are committed to helping union members with increasingly diverse needs and ensuring that they can access trusted, affordable legal guidance when they require it,” he stated.

Changes driven by member feedback

NTUC noted that the latest enhancements were made after listening to feedback from union leaders and members.

With these new additions, the LAP will now cover eight broad categories of legal issues. This will allow it to support members across a wider and more complex range of situations.

One key improvement is dedicated support for the enforcement of judgments and orders. This will help members who need to enforce decisions made by the Small Claims Tribunal or the Employment Claims Tribunal.

The expanded general advisory and litigation support will also help members deal with common legal situations, such as issuing or responding to a letter of demand for personal matters. Meanwhile, the new protection from harassment service area will provide access to legal advice and representation for harassment-related cases.

Existing services also strengthened

In addition to the new service areas, several existing LAP services have been expanded.

Support for criminal and private prosecution matters will now include assistance with filing a Magistrate’s Complaint, giving members a formal way to raise issues that may involve criminal wrongdoing.

Family law support has also been widened to cover Maintenance Summons proceedings.  Additionally, it also encompasses the enforcement of existing divorce and maintenance orders.

Finally, on the employment front, legal support has been updated in preparation for the Workplace Fairness Act. This is expected to come into effect in 2027 to ensure that the LAP remains aligned with upcoming legal and regulatory changes.

How members can apply

From January 1, 2026, union members can apply for the enhanced LAP services online via the NTUC website, through their affiliated unions and associations, or in person at NTUC Membership Services.

NTUC said the expanded panel is part of its ongoing efforts to support members beyond the workplace, ensuring they are not left to navigate legal challenges alone.

In other news, Singapore’s Immigration & Checkpoints Authority (ICA) has stopped two separate attempts to smuggle duty-unpaid cigarettes into the country at Tuas Checkpoint, arresting two Malaysian lorry drivers in the process. The incidents happened just days apart in late November and early December 2025, and were shared by ICA in early January.

You may read the full story here: ICA foils two smuggling attempts, arrests Malaysian drivers carrying duty unpaid cigarettes