Francis Maude insists that the days of "archaic" Whitehall benefits are numbered

New broom: Francis Maude insists that the days of the old Whitehall benefits are numbered

Tens of thousands of civil servants face losing generous working terms under a radical Whitehall overhaul.

Cabinet Office Minister Francis Maude has vowed to end "archaic" benefits and shake up the "risk-averse" culture in government departments. He is investigating terms and conditions and signalling reforms to lavish sick pay and extra holidays.

Underperforming staff could be sacked if they do not improve, while high fliers will be promoted, rather than seeing their careers blocked by stuffy protocol.

"It needs to be more agile, more fleet-of-foot," Mr Maude said as he set out his vision for the Civil Service in an interview with the Standard. Current Whitehall sick pay terms give workers six months on full pay and six months on half pay, costing more than £300 million a year.

By comparison, statutory sick pay for private sector workers is worth just £81.60 for 28 weeks. Civil servants also enjoy an extra two-and-a-half days holiday a year, known as "privilege days", which are also in Mr Maude's sights.

"The rules for sick pay do not bear comparison with anything I have come across anywhere else, ever," he said.

Alongside the overhaul of working terms, Mr Maude is determined to sweep away the "hierarchical" nature of Whitehall and end the "class system" where managers are seen as inferior to policy chiefs.

Coming on top of job losses, a wage freeze, recruitment ban and a shake-up of redundancy pay, talk of more sweeping changes is likely to anger unions already threatening strikes at cuts they say unfairly target the public sector.

Mr Maude, 57, speaks in glowing terms of "the mainstream majority of dedicated, hard-working civil servants" and says ministers should treat them with respect.

With responsibility for industrial relations, Mr Maude insisted the Government was "not looking for confrontation" and was working "wholeheartedly" to pursue good relations with unions. But it is also his job to make sure the country does not come to a halt - he even hinted that emergency laws are ready if they are needed to break a national strike.

"You have to have rigorous contingency planning to ensure that if there are strikes you can actually keep the show on the road," he said.
Mr Maude is optimistic that the days of militant union bosses are starting to fade away in favour of the "partnership" approach seen on the Continent.

But he described RMT boss Bob Crow as "very much old-style"- although he suggested Mayor Boris Johnson should meet him - and expressed disappointment at PCS leader Mark Serwotka, who is seeking to co-ordinate national strikes this month, for his "avowed political agenda".

"Going on strike isn't going to help," Mr Maude said. "And you kind of feel that's a sign of a union leadership which doesn't want there to be agreement."

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