Shaping the world of work: Dave Penman on the challenges facing the civil service, and plans for his new term as General Secretary
Following his re-election, Dave Penman outlines the challenges of the next five years and his plans to improve the working lives of FDA’s members.
In many ways it’s easy being General Secretary of the FDA. I’m never shy about saying it’s the best job in the trade union movement. I get to work with incredibly motivated and talented people, from the FDA’s professional staff to the reps and members who make our union tick. We represent committed public servants, doing invaluable work to deliver public services and support our country at home and abroad. It’s why it’s easy to get passionate about defending their integrity, professionalism and values when they are too often under attack.
And it’s why it’s a privilege to be re-elected to serve another term as General Secretary, something I have never taken for granted. I still feel like the new kid on the block, but as you can tell from photo, that’s hardly the case. This is my fourth term as General Secretary, not something I ever thought I’d be able to say. I – and our Executive Committee take that election process seriously. I have always felt the burden of demonstrating to the Executive Committee that I have a vision for the union and that I am the right person to lead it for the next five years. They have always interrogated me and that vision to ensure it’s in the best interests of members before they consider whether to nominate me for re-election. Ultimately, I am accountable to you as members and your faith in me to lead your union is both humbling and inspiring.
In each of those terms we have faced different challenges. From austerity, to Brexit, to the chaos of the Johnson era. The FDA’s ability to be pragmatic, constructive but fearless in defending our members has meant that despite those challenges, we have grown by almost 75% over the last decade. It is a record every member, representative and employee should be rightly proud of – the fastest growing union in the UK.
But the challenges of the next five years come thick and fast. We had hoped for greater and faster progress on reforming pay, which is decades overdue and vital if the service is to retain and attract the talent it needs as it transforms. We are still waiting for the Strategic Workforce Plans in departments, setting out how the government will match its commitments with the resources allocated through the spending review.
We need a stronger standards regime – independent of political interference – over ministerial conduct, as well as a regulator of the Civil Service Code that has teeth to enforce its obligations on the rule of law.
As the service transforms, we need to ensure that enhancing the opportunities of digital and AI help to deliver better quality jobs as well as higher quality public services. Our latest report, Adopt, Innovate and Reform, produced in partnership with the Fabian Society, is an example of our growing reach as a union, with evidence-based policy to influence the world of work for our members.
Every day, I see the incredible work that the FDA does representing members individually and collectively. Shaping the world of work through our engagement with employers, a partnership in every sense. Unafraid to reach agreement and unafraid to challenge. Our advocacy as the go-to defender of civil service vales whenever or wherever they are under attack, the value we add to membership through our outstanding FDA Learn programme, supporting careers and helping members to make informed choices.
Our challenge, as a successful, growing union, is to maintain that growth – because we could, again and again. We will only do so by ensuring we are centred on our members’ priorities and values – that as members you feel you are an integral part of your union, in control of key decisions and kept abreast of all that we are doing on your behalf. Relevance and visibility is what has helped drive that record growth and is what will maintain it, whatever the challenges.
Thank you again for your confidence in me to lead the union and I look forward to working with you to continue our success.
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