Prospect and FDA – government must make meaningful move at meeting with civil service unions
Prospect has responded to an invitation to meet by the Minister for the Cabinet Office Jeremy Quin MP.
This offer is understood to be part of wider move, following the Prime Minister signalling that ministers were willing to meet with unions on public sector pay.
Prospect will shortly be formally balloting many branches in the Civil and Public Service on Industrial Action. This follows the overwhelming dissatisfaction and willingness to take action shown in an indicative ballot before Christmas.
Mike Clancy, Prospect General Secretary and Dave Penman FDA General Secretary, say in the joint letter:
“With inflation running in double digits for such a prolonged period of time, treating 2022 or indeed 2023 like any other year is simply untenable.
“That is why, across the board, our members have been rejecting pay offers and in a number of cases are considering industrial action.
“Your offer of a meeting and dialogue is welcome, but the issues our members face have been set out to you and the employers in the civil service at length over the last 12 months.
“We of course welcome the opportunity to reiterate these points once again, but if you are serious about seeking a resolution to these issues, Government must also be prepared to engage and set out how they intend to address them.
“Understanding the issue is not the problem here, finding solutions that address them is.”
The General Secretaries made clear that they were willing to clear their diaries to meet the Minister on behalf of members, but they expected that meaningful moves must be tabled if they met.
Prospect’s ballot is on the issues of pay, proposed changes to the Civil Service Compensation Scheme and the threat of job cuts.
We will continue to keep members up to date on the latest on any negotiations around these issues, as well as on the Industrial Action ballot.
Ahead of the ballot please make sure all your contact details are up to date.
If you have a colleague who is not yet a Prospect member please ask them to join, as the more members we have the stronger we will be in this fight.
