“There comes a time for everyone when enough is enough, when the only response can be a demonstrable one that signals to ministers exactly how strongly you feel. That time is now conference,” he added.
Later in the day, while moving an emergency motion on industrial action, Penman told delegates that the intention is that the FDA will start balloting members at the end of May, the ballot will close at the end of June and, if successful, action will take place before summer break. The ballot will include FDA members working for UK government departments, covering both delegated grades and the SCS, and marks the first time the union has run a national strike ballot over pay in 40 years.
The former Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, Lord Chancellor and Treasury minister spoke to FDA members about the value of civil servants, the relationship between ministers and officials and why accusations of “the blob” do not reflect reality.
Pippa Crerar spoke to delegates about the principles that drive her investigative journalism, the political climate of the last few years and how the civil service has been caught up in a wider culture war.
This week, the FDA attended the 2026 TUC Congress in Brighton. FDA delegates spoke to and moved motions on a range of topics, including the review of the civil service, supporting effective management, accountability and safe contracting in the NHS, and the importance of an evidence-led approach to regulation.
Yesterday, FDA staff and reps attended the 2026 Fast Stream annual Base Camp, welcoming this year’s new joiners to the scheme and sharing the benefits of FDA membership with them.
The FDA’s National Officer for Northern Ireland Robert Murtagh has written to Speaker of the Assembly, Edwin Poots, asking him to remind MLAs that when officials appear before the Assembly, impartiality must not be brought into question.
