Advice & support
Civil service and public sector pay
Prioritising pay
We know improving pay is the key priority for our members. Securing better pay for civil servants is not always the easiest of jobs, but it is essential: public services and the people who deliver them need investment to perform well.
How we support you
Our members help to keep Britain’s vital public services running at a time of immense challenges – and they deserve to be fairly remunerated for their skills, experience and dedication.
The FDA works at a cross-departmental level to unlock increased funding and secure long-term reforms to ensure pay policy is fit for purpose. The current civil service pay structures and processes prevent individual employers from developing a strategic approach to their pay and reward, which is a real barrier to delivering whole civil service workforce strategies and reform. We continue to make the case that civil service pay structures must be reformed to enable the civil service to recruit and retain the skills, talent and expertise needed to run our vital public services.
Our National Officers
FDA National Officers work tirelessly at the departmental level to secure the best pay deals available for delegated grades, with collective bargaining agreements in more than 200 employers.
We also take a lead on pay for the Senior Civil Service through our yearly evidence to the Senior Salaries Review Body (SSRB) and have submitted evidence to the National Crime Agency Remuneration Review Body (NCARRB) since 2016.
Report
The state of pay in the civil service
The FDA’s report, ‘The state of pay in the civil service’, paints a stark picture, with unambiguous testimony from civil servants detailing widespread dissatisfaction with the pay system, which is having a devasting impact on morale.
Campaign for independent pay review body for delegated grades
For a number of years, the FDA been campaigning for an independent pay review body for delegated pay grades. Following our State of Pay report, we commissioned a piece of research alongside Prospect with Incomes Data Research (IDR), to analyse pay review bodies across the public sector and understand how they work and their effectiveness.
Based on our research and members’ insights, we have begun the process of shaping proposals for government on how an independent pay review body for grades below SCS could work. We will look to develop and shape a proposal which builds on existing pay review bodies, reflects the dynamics of a diverse civil service with different pay pressures, and strengthens the negotiating power for unions once a pay review body has made its recommendations. We will also continue to work with devolved administrations to establish the best long-term solutions in those areas.
Latest news
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Why we need an independent pay review body for delegated grades
Assistant General Secretary Lauren Crowley outlines the FDA’s response to this week’s pay announcements and shares the FDA’s long-term plans for civil service pay.
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A different approach
With civil service pay largely unchanged for the last 30 years, Dave Penman outlines why the next government should make long-term reform an early priority.
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FDA calls for substantial reform of NCA pay structure
In its evidence to the National Crime Agency Pay Review Body the FDA argues for urgent reform of the NCA pay structure.
Join the FDA today
By joining the FDA, you’ll be standing alongside more than 22,000 other members who believe that public services – and the people who deliver them – matter.