FDA welcomes launch of new Partnership Framework with the Cabinet Office

The FDA welcomes a new era in civil service employee relations with the launch of a new Partnership Framework with the Cabinet Office.

As reported in Civil Service World, FDA General Secretary Dave Penman welcomed the framework as, “the foundation for a better relationship between the FDA and the civil service.”

Launched by Satvir Kaur MP, Parliamentary Secretary to the Cabinet Office, alongside the FDA, Prospect and the Prison Officers’ Association, the Partnership Framework commits both sides to co-creating solutions to the many challenges the UK civil service faces.

By paving the way for early engagement with government, it also seeks to enhance FDA influence over the decisions that affect our members – improving their working lives and the quality of the public services they deliver.

Penman emphasised that, “working in partnership with employers is how we deliver what FDA members want from their union, influence over their world of work. It strengthens our influence without compromising our ability to challenge if necessary.”

Partnership approaches have proven to deliver successful results, such as the reforms the Senior Civil Service pay system. Following the launch of the framework, the FDA’s attention remains on how to turn these commitments into reality. By working at pace with the Cabinet Office, these principles can be translated into better practice, not just at the centre of government, but across the civil service.  

Adding that the framework “is the beginning, not the end of this project,” Penman stressed that, “understanding the challenges, pragmatic early engagement and a constructive approach to problem solving… That’s what defines partnership working. We now need to deliver that on the ground to improve the working lives of civil servants.”

In a separate joint opinion piece with Prospect General Secretary Mike Clancy for Civil Service World, Penman affirmed that this work “will start immediately”.

Regardless of government or agenda, they concluded that “reform works best when public servants and their unions are engaged at the start and throughout,” which is why “this framework can be the key to unlocking better outcomes, both for our members and the services they deliver.”