This stark message was delivered by the Prospect and FDA unions

In a joint statement, Paul Noon, Prospect General Secretary and Jonathan Baume, FDA General Secretary, said :

“Prospect and the FDA have deserved reputations for being prepared to engage and negotiate on the most difficult issues that face our members. We have adopted this approach to the many challenges our members face over the Government’s proposals for pension reform.

“The imposition of an increase in pension contributions from April 2012 is simply a tax on civil servants and other public sector workers, and has nothing to do with the sustainability of their pension schemes.

We are working closely with other public sector unions whose members face the same issues and will be liaising through the TUC to determine what forms of action will be most effective in influencing Government policy.

“We do not take this action lightly. Our members are committed public servants, often paid substantially less than their private sector counterparts. They have chosen public service as a career and withdrawing that service by taking industrial action does not come readily to them.

 Their statement concludes by saying:

 “It is time the Government played fair with its own staff, just as it would expect of any other employer.”

 Therefore, for the first time, there could be joint action between all of the major civil service unions.