National Officer for @FDA_union in N Ireland - the union for managers and professionals in public service.
Belfast, Northern Ireland
Joined November 2024
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Scrutiny is vital to the democratic process so I welcome this.
But committee members must recognise they do not have a role in HR/Employment issues.
The Assembly must introduce robust guidance to MLAs on appropriate scrutiny of officials to avoid these issues arising again.
The stand-off between the Department of Education and its scrutiny committee at Stormont has come to an end, after Education Minister Paul Givan backed down on his order for officials to boycott meetings.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/…
With @williamcrawley earlier, I urged the Assembly to strengthen guidance to ensure MLAs conduct accountability appropriately.
NICS guidance is clear, officials represent their Minister but are not political spokespeople, cttees have no role over staffing or disciplinary issues.
I’ll say it again… officials operate under the direction and control of their Minister. The Head of the Civil Service cannot overrule a lawful Ministerial instruction.
It is also entirely inappropriate for committees to ask about individual personnel matters in open session.
Civil Service head has no power to override minister’s bar on officials giving evidence to Education committee
irishnews.com/news/northern-…
On @StephenNolan this morning I highlighted that officials are collateral damage in lack of agreement between UK Govt and Exec.
This isn’t just about pay but also long term transformation of public services.
Sec of State and Exec must come to an agreement.
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Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
Delays to civil service pay talks due to no agreed budget in Stormont is "another example where we see that officials and civil servants are collateral damage", @FDA_NI tells @bbcradioulster
FDA standing up for civil servants!
Civil servants should not be scapegoated for misjudgments of politicians, whether it’s London or Belfast.
Join @FDA_union today!
FDA statement on settlement agreement for Sir Oliver Robbins.
ALT Press release from FDA union titled "Sir Oliver Robbins - Settlement Agreement" The FDA is pleased that the Government has settled out of court to rectify the circumstances surrounding Sir Oliver Robbins’s departure from the civil service. Sir Oliver Robbins said: “I am grateful for all the support and good wishes from former colleagues, friends and strangers, which have helped me and my family during this difficult time. I want to thank the FDA for their assistance in reaching this settlement and I am looking forward to moving on to the next chapter of my life”.
Didn’t hear the full conversation but just to clarify @JP_Biz @williamcrawley Perm Secs in NI are not paid the equivalent of Perm Secs in the UK.
All SCS pay in NI is negotiated alongside all civil service pay and is not related to SCS pay arrangements at UKCS.
Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
I don’t know where @ZiaYusufUK and Reform get their facts from. But the Govt’s own data shows that white civil servants have a higher hourly rate, are more likely to receive a bonus and are overrepresented in the higher grades than their Black and Asian counterparts.
ALT Text showing key findings for 2025 on civil service pay statistics from GOV.UK, stating: • White civil servants have higher hourly earnings and bonuses than both Black and Asian civil servants (for both median and mean). • White civil servants are more likely to receive a bonus (73.1%) compared to all other ethnic groups, with Black civil servants the least likely (62.1%). • White civil servants are overrepresented in both of the highest earnings pay quartiles whilst Asian civil servants are overrepresented in both of the lowest earnings pay quartiles. • In London and outside London, White civil servants' earnings and bonuses are higher than each of the four other ethnic groups.
Worth a read 👇
Zia Yusuf on Suella Braverman’s comments about being English
Yusuf: “Well, she's entitled to her view. I'm a Chelsea fan (I might lose some voters for that statement) and in my view Ashley Cole is the best English fullback in history, and I won't take any other position. So in my view, Ashley Cole is English. The argument that he's not English doesn't hold water with me.
But I will also say, I speak to a lot of people in this country who are concerned legitimately, with the fact that, if you are white English in many of the league tables that matter, for example, educational attainment, access to our best elite universities, pay inside the civil service, you're often right at the very bottom of those league tables and nobody really seems to care about that. and so I think this is a very nuanced issue. And people can have different views.”
SR: A lot of people would have concerns about immigration. But that is a different thing from effectively judging someone on the colour of their skin. If you're getting into an argument about whether Ashley Cole or Bukayo Saka or Jude Bellingham are English, have you basically lost the argument?
Yusuf: I can only talk about my views on these matters. Right. And I do think it is important that we listen to people who are worried about some of the demographics in this country. I think that there are some legitimate arguments that they can make about that.
But I will also say, every single person that you just mentioned there, whether it's Saka, Ashley Cole, Rio Ferdinand, Nasser Hussain, who I grew up watching when I went to the cricket, the idea that those people aren't English, is an alien concept to me. I would respectfully disagree with people, who make the opposite argument.
SR: Do you identify as English yourself?
Yusuf: Well, I was born in Scotland and I grew up in England. So, you know, I'm not sure where I would fall in that regard, I don't think I'd have much of a claim to stake even if I tried. Because, as I said, I was born in Scotland.
Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
'It is an excellent opportunity': £25,796 salary on offer as Civil Service opens 110 student placements trib.al/1gdJyin
A few civil service student placement students attended our AGM last year to hear from @MarkDrakeford @StephenFarryUU and others and they were a great addition to the audience.
If you’re a student and interested in a civil service career, check it out!
Finance Minister @JohnODowdSF today launched the 2027/28 Civil Service Student Placement Scheme, with approximately 110 placements available across several government departments.
Read more➡️ finance-ni.gov.uk/news/civil…
ALT Pictured with Finance Minister John O’Dowd are Ulster University students Erin Bradley (Second from left) and Sean McClure, (second from Right), along with Department for Infrastructure Permanent Secretary Emer Morelli
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On @BBCgmu I called out poor behaviour from MLAs towards officials at Assembly committees.
MLAs using officials as political pawns might make for good social media clips but it doesn’t serve the public.
Need to balance legitimate scrutiny and dignity & respect for officials.
The targeting of the Perm Sec
for non attendance at the committee, as @JonBurrowsMLA did, is unacceptable when it’s clear they are acting on lawful instructions from their minister.
Officials welcome scrutiny, but they also expect & deserve to be treated with respect.
MLAs may have to use legal powers to compel witnesses to attend hearings after Education Minister Paul Givan instructed officials to boycott his scrutiny committee.
belfasttelegraph.co.uk/news/…
Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
Up with the lark this morning on my way to beautiful Cardiff, to meet with @PrifWeinidog to discuss the programme for Govt in Wales.
The FDA is the only union in all of the Govts of the UK, giving us unique insight to build strong partnerships with all the devolved Govts.
ALT A train platform in darkness, with the information display showing the time at 5.02am.
ALT FDA General Secretary Dave Penman with the Paddington Bear statue at Paddington train station in London
Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
Giving NICS a kicking has become a favoured pastime for some commentators and politicians.
As MLAs do their best to secure their seats, it is incumbent that mudslinging and vilification aren't conveniently packaged as 'scrutiny or accountability.’
belfastlive.co.uk/news/north…
Only 2 weeks ago I highlighted my concern about MLAs behaviour towards officials at committees 👇
belfastlive.co.uk/news/north…
Robert Murtagh - FDA National Officer NI 🟣 retweeted
Pleased to see vital action being taken to address these terrible crimes.
When Labour came to power with a promise to half VAWG the FDA surveyed our members in the CPS, including hundreds of RASSO prosecutors, to identify what administrative challenges they face when securing justice and what can be done to help remove these barriers.
Our subsequent report, which explored our members’ insights into the CPS’s role in increasing RASSO prosecutions, called for a number of changes reflected in this latest government announcement. These included specialist RASSO courts to improve timeliness and support for victims, more effective guidance for juries and judges, and ensuring RASSO trails are never placed on “floating” lists.
These changes are welcome, but the government must ensure that the entire criminal justice system receives additional and sustained funding to improve outcomes for victims. This includes a full commitment to funding the National Operating Model and Operation Soteria and producing a workforce strategy for the CPS, with a long-term strategy to recruit high quality criminal lawyers.
“Reducing civil service numbers without reducing by or redesigning the workload does not make the work disappear.” 👇
My letter responding to the recent article in the Scotsman which conflated the civil service with the entire Scottish public sector.
Civil servants should not be used as a proxy for the entire public sector, nor blamed for workforce decisions made by government.
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Why is it that trade union general secretaries always get pejoratively referred to as ‘barons’ unlike leaders of almost all other organisations and businesses??
NEW: Trade Union Baron Paul Nowak of the TUC appointed to the BofE.
So far not exactly sterling reactions from Westminster. @TiceRichard blasts ' trade union donations not only buy your way into government policymaking, but also onto the Bank of England’s board'.
And @griffitha hits out with 'if it wasn’t obvious who is driving this Labour government’s agenda, this should give you a good idea.'
A former senior official told me recently “Govt is hard, govt in NI is harder.”
Officials are not naïve to the political environment, but if we want govt to even have a chance of succeeding, we must keep civil servants out of the political crossfire.
belfastlive.co.uk/news/north…
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Giving NICS a kicking has become a favoured pastime for some commentators and politicians.
As MLAs do their best to secure their seats, it is incumbent that mudslinging and vilification aren't conveniently packaged as 'scrutiny or accountability.’
belfastlive.co.uk/news/north…