The FDA’s newly elected President Margaret Haig discusses with Katherine Hutchinson the key challenges facing the civil service, and lays out the best things about being part of the union.

A member of the FDA’s Executive Committee since 2018, and having previously served as Vice President, Margaret Haig was elected President of the FDA in June this year. Margaret is a Policy Lead in copyright at the Intellectual Property Office (IPO), part of the Department for Science, Innovation and Technology (DSIT). 

Growing up in Bath and later Essex, Margaret’s journey towards a career in the civil service was initially sparked by her interest in law, hoping to become a barrister and completing a degree in Law at King’s College London. Upon graduating, Margaret was drawn to the civil service:

“I decided that rather than practice the law, perhaps I would go to actually make the law. I had studied various elements in my degree, including anti-discrimination law and constitutional law which I was really fascinated by so I applied for the Fast Stream. I didn’t manage to get on as a graduate and so instead I went for a direct entry role and became a Crown Court clerk.”

After applying for a second time as an internal candidate, Margaret was accepted on the Fast Stream where she held a number of roles including in policy, regulation, strategy, and as a tribunal manager in operations. This was also when she first joined the FDA, quickly joining the Branch Committee as a rep, and later becoming a Fast Stream rep and then membership officer. 

As she begins her term as President, Margaret identifies the biggest challenges currently facing the civil service:

“Dealing with the new government will be a major challenge because it is facing severe financial constraints. There are massive outstanding issues in terms of things like funding different areas of our membership, whether that be the justice system, taxation or the benefits system. It’s a huge challenge, and I think a lot of public servants feel like they’ve had enough of poor pay deals and will be expecting something better, perhaps not immediately, but at least in the medium term.”

Outlining her first priorities to focus on as President, Margeret says the three key issues are bullying and harassment, the financial position of the civil service, especially in terms of pay, and upholding the values of the civil service, particularly impartiality:

“What I really love about the FDA is that it’s pragmatic, it’s not political. It provides support for people’s careers such as through networking, but I always feel like we’re quite forward facing and committed to defending principles that I feel really strongly about. Impartiality in particular, is the one that we’ve campaigned so much on. For me, as a civil servant that’s been part of my core beliefs all the way through my career. And the FDA really does go the extra mile to do that, provide that voice and support for civil servants who can’t represent themselves in the media. Plus, all of our great campaigning on other things like bullying and harassment, particularly in MOD and the House of Commons, and hybrid working. And not forgetting the industrial action that got that great pay result last year for members across so many areas.”

“I always feel like we’re quite forward facing and committed to defending principles that I feel really strongly about”

Asked what she hopes most to see from the new government in their early days in office, Margaret says she wants a commitment to the civil service values. The new President says she welcomes ideas on how best to uphold the Civil Service Code, such as commissioning a new ethics body or amending the Ministerial and/or Civil Service Codes. She feels that doing so would give civil servants confidence that the government “doesn’t want to have bullying and harassment in its offices between ministers and staff. It doesn’t want to have civil servants breaking the law. That’s important to everyone, and civil servants will gain confidence.”

In Margaret’s view, the best thing about being a part of the FDA is “hearing from all the different departments and devolved administrations, the geographical diversity and the diversity of work that people do in the FDA – that’s what I love so much. We’re not a homogeneous  group. We are diverse and creative, and we support each other, so I find it a really empowering organisation to be part of”.

“We’re not a homogeneous group. We are diverse and creative, and we support each other, so I find it a really empowering organisation to be part of”

She adds: “I’m very proud that both the Vice Presidents are women. I have loved being part of Women into Leadership and chairing some of those sessions over the last few years and I’ll continue to do that when I can. That has been another part of the career development that the FDA offers. Identifying people who don’t necessarily fit the traditional mould of union activism or leadership in general and encouraging them to come on after you is something that I would like to do while I’m President as well.”

Outside of her work in the civil service and the FDA, Margaret is the director of two choirs, and member of a third at the Foreign, Commonwealth and Development Office (FCDO):

“At our first Executive Committee meeting after I took over as President, I asked people to say something interesting about themselves and it turned out we have quite a few singers who perform different styles of music. Taking time out of work and singing with a group of people is really good for your physical and mental health. I’ve had brilliant opportunities over the last few years and one of my favourite things was getting the FCDO choir to come and sing at one of the FDA centenary events. So, I’d love to do more singing in the FDA if it’s possible.”

 

 

What is the FDA’s Executive Committee and how does it work?

The FDA’s Executive Committee (EC) is elected though a series of constituencies, ensuring that it remains representative of the breadth of the union’s membership. Its elected members bring a wealth of public service experience to the running of the FDA, and make sure that decisions taken at the FDA’s Annual Delegate Conference (ADC) are put into action.

The EC also looks after the union’s affairs between conferences and holds meetings with the General Secretary and other full-time FDA staff at least six times a year. Elections for Executive Committee positions are held every other year before the Annual Delegate Conference and successful nominees are appointed for two-year terms.