The UK’s most senior civil servants could take their first strike action in more than a decade after ministers imposed an average pay rise of between 4.5% and 5%, in a move described as “unconscionable” by union leaders. The Cabinet Office published pay remit guidance limiting awards to an average of 4.5%, plus an additional 0.5% for the lowest pay bands. The Prospect union responded by announcing fresh strike dates, and the Public and Commercial Services union (PCS) said it would press ahead with reballoting members about another six months of industrial action. The FDA union, which represents senior Whitehall civil servants, including some permanent secretaries, and which had not previously been in dispute with the government, said its executive committee would hold an emergency meeting next week to consider a strike ballot. Dave Penman, the FDA’s general secretary, said he had “pleaded” with the government to “pull back from the brink of what will inevitably be a prolonged and damaging dispute”. Unions have been involved in talks over recent weeks with the Cabinet Office minister Jeremy Quin but it is understood the increase was presented to them as non-negotiable. The new pay guidance appears significantly less generous than the offer to NHS staff, which included a one-off bonus and a 5% pay increase for 2023-24. Mark Serwotka, the general secretary of the PCS, whose 100,000-plus members have held a string of strikes, said: “This insulting proposal will serve only to anger PCS members, stiffen their resolve ahead of the forthcoming reballot and increase the likelihood of a new wave of sustained strike action.” The PCS action has hit a range of public services from border checks to driving tests in recent months.
Members of the FDA last took part in strikes in 2011, during a dispute over public sector pensions. Penman described the pay award as “unconscionable given the current economic climate that civil servants face” and said it had been made without any meaningful dialogue with unions. “We always try to engage constructively and in good faith with the government to reach the best outcome but it’s clear that the government has no intention of offering us that same courtesy,” he added. Prospect, which represents tens of thousands of technical and specialist staff such as government scientists, announced new strikes on 10 May and 7 June. Its general secretary, Mike Clancy, said: “This industrial action was entirely avoidable, but the government’s failure to bring anything to the table has made it inevitable and it leaves hardworking civil servants with no option but to protest over their treatment.” A government spokesperson said: “This guidance recognises the hard work and vital importance of civil service staff by offering the highest pay increase in 20 years, in line with forecast wage growth across the economy. “The deal is also fair to the taxpayer and supports the government’s promise to halve inflation this year, which will help everyone’s incomes go further.” Speaking in Washington DC on Thursday, the chancellor, Jeremy Hunt, said the government was willing to accept short-term economic damage from strike action, rather than cave in to “hard to justify” pay claims. “We have to get this right. I completely understand how the cost of living going up faster than wages makes people angry,” he said. “Inflation is the root cause of that anger. We must make sure we don’t have the same inflation problems and the same arguments in a year’s time. The worst possible thing for junior doctors, nurses, teachers and rail workers would be if there was still concern about inflation this time next year.”