(Image: Newsquest)
Civil servants could lose long-standing protections against compulsory redundancy within months, with a union leader warning ministers appear to have an “appetite” to revisit the guarantee after almost two decades.
The Scottish Government’s no compulsory redundancy policy expires on March 31, 2027, with no agreement yet reached with trade unions on what arrangements will replace it.
Fresh doubts have been cast on the policy as the Scottish Government presses ahead with plans to shrink both the civil service and wider public sector workforce.
The Scottish Government aims to reduce the overall public sector workforce by an average of 0.5% per year – amounting to a 2.5% reduction by 2029-30, as part of plans to address a £4.7 billion funding gap.
Across the core civil service, ministers aim to cut the headcount by 20% over five years, with The Herald previously revealing the plans could result in the loss of more than 1,400 jobs.
Ivan McKee, the cabinet secretary tasked with overseeing the sweeping changes to the public sector, left the sector reeling when he said compulsory redundancies could ultimately be used when “every other avenue has been exhausted”.
The SNP introduced a ban on compulsory redundancies in 2007 and just last month First Minister John Swinney said there was “no question” of compulsory exits.
Now, Allan Sampson, the national officer for Scotland for the FDA (formerly the Association of First Division Civil Servants) union, has warned there appears to be an “appetite” on the government’s side to revisit the current agreement when it expires in the spring.
He told The Herald: “As far as we are concerned, there is an agreement in place and there will be no compulsory redundancies until that time.
Read more
- 'Free to leave': Unhappy civil servants told to quit over office working rules
- Trade union defends civil servants after office attendance figures revealed
- Managers in Scotland's public sector face cuts as directors made high 'priority'
- Scottish Government agreed to alert unions over hybrid working FOI row
- The unanswered questions surrounding the Scottish Government's hybrid working change
“What’s different now is that for a long time we’ve had an agreement of this sort when the public sector has been growing. Now that it is contracting, there is a greater focus on ‘what does this mean to have no compulsory redundancies?’”
Mr Sampson said any changes to the agreement would be “unsettling” for civil servants.
He said there was still uncertainty about what would happen beyond March 31, with unions still negotiating with Scottish Government officials on future pay deals and conditions.
“Our priority is to secure meaningful protections for staff,” he added.
But he said: “Our position is very firm that it is a blanket no compulsory redundancy until then.
“It seems there is an appetite on the government side to qualify the agreement on the terms of it going forward.”
Mr Sampson would not be pressed on the action trade unions would take if the ban on compulsory redundancies was removed, but he said: “Any proposed changes to that protection would be a significant matter for our members and would require proper discussion with the unions.”
In evidence to the Public Sector Reform Committee last week, Mr McKee confirmed compulsory redundancies could be necessary as an “endpoint”, with the Scottish Trades Union Congress (STUC) criticising the “contradictory signals” from ministers.
The First Minister told the BBC last month he would “maintain the no compulsory redundancy commitment”.
The Scottish Government has rejected claims that there has been any change to its no compulsory redundancy commitment.
Read more
- Cushions, footrests and docking stations: The cost of civil service hybrid working
- Remote working crackdown in Scottish civil service leads to slump in morale
- Scottish Government doesn't know if civil servants are meeting hybrid working target
- 'We're not skivers': Civil servants weigh in on remote working and 'quiet' offices
- Inside Scotland’s civil service union row that forced a hybrid working rethink
Scotland’s devolved civil service reached a headcount of 29,200 employees in March 2026 – up 1.3% from the previous year, while the size of the core civil service reduced by 3% to around 9,000 employees.
The core civil service remains 34.6% higher than 2019.
In an attempt to reduce the size of the workforce, senior civil servants are being offered lucrative payoffs under voluntary exit schemes.
Officials on Band C salaries – starting at £62,110 – will be offered one month’s pay for each year of service up to a maximum of 21 months.
Exit payments of more than £95,000 will be sent to ministers once a decision has been made and anyone already at pensionable age will have the payoff capped at six months’ salary, reports suggest.
Mr Sampson told The Herald “vital talent” could be lost through the voluntary exit scheme and warned ministers were “chasing a numbers-first” approach to reducing the civil service.
He said unions have also not been given clarity around the 0.5% or 20% reduction targets.
He said: “I don’t think we’ve ever understood why that number is so big other than the Scottish Government wants to lead by example but with that comes the major risk that without proper workforce planning, then there’s an impact on those who are left behind, and the government’s ability to deliver. There needs to be a workforce plan that sits alongside a reduction of this scale.
“If you’re going to reduce core civil service roles, you need to be open and honest about the impact that will have on the public.”
A Scottish Government spokesperson said: "There has been no change to the Scottish Government’s No Compulsory Redundancy commitment.
“The Voluntary Exit Scheme will support the aim of becoming a smaller and more focused organisation by giving eligible staff at managerial and Senior Civil Service grades the opportunity to apply to leave on agreed terms taking account of business requirements, workforce priorities, affordability and the need to retain critical skills and capacity.
“Public service reform will help to ensure that Scottish Government investment is focused on frontline delivery, with the right staff in the right roles to deliver real improvements in public services.”