WIREDGOV

"The Government's approach is unreasonable and unacceptable, most particularly the threat to impose inferior terms if agreement cannot be reached.

"We continue to believe that the agreement reached in February between the Cabinet Office and the FDA, Prospect, POA, UNITE and GMB represents a fair balance between the Government's requirement to make efficiencies with protection and fairness for our members. This February deal should form the basis of any future negotiations.

"The Minister has argued that civil service redundancy terms are 'completely out of kilter with what is on offer in the wider public sector'. However, the government is proposing that civil servants should have considerably worse redundancy terms than any other public servant.

"The way forward is for the Government and all of the unions to get round the table in meaningful negotiations, without setting preconditions, so that we can end the uncertainty created when civil servants are reading headlines about cuts in government spending of up to 40%".

Notes for editors

1. The FDA is the trade union and professional body representing 18,000 of the UK's senior civil and public servants. Our members include policy advisors, senior managers, tax inspectors, economists, statisticians, accountants, special advisers, government lawyers, diplomats, crown prosecutors and NHS managers.

2. Members in HMRC are represented by the Association of Revenue and Customs (ARC), a section of the FDA.

3. The FDA (formerly the First Division Association) should be referred to simply as "The FDA" and can be described as "the senior public servants' union".

4. For further information contact:

Jonathan Baume, FDA General Secretary, tel: 020 7401 5555 or 07976 951191.

Kay Hender, Communications Officer, tel: 020 7401 5589.