First Division Association
Encyclopedia
The FDA, formerly The Association of First Division Civil Servants, and sometimes known as the First Division Association, is a trade union for senior civil servants and public service professionals in the United Kingdom, founded in 1918.
Its over 19,000 members include Whitehall policy advisers and senior managers, tax inspectors, economist
s and statistician
s, government-employed lawyers, crown prosecutors
, procurators fiscal, schools inspectors, diplomats, senior national museum staff, senior civil servants, accountants and National Health Service
(NHS) managers.
The organisation was founded as the Association of First Division Civil Servants, before changing name to FDA in 2000.
(ARC), and management in the NHS
join Managers in Partnership (MiP).
The FDA is an affiliate of the Trades Union Congress
, the Scottish Trades Union Congress
, the Wales TUC
and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
but is not affiliated to the Labour Party
or any other political party. The FDA is also affiliated to Public Services International
.
The original name, 'The Association of First Division Civil Servants' was chosen because it represented first division clerks, as opposed to the Second Division Association, which represented more junior clerks. Although the terms first and second division clerks were abolished in the 1920s, it proved impossible to agree on an alternative name, and the name remained until 2000 when, following a motion to the union's annual delegate conference, the official name became "FDA".
has been General Secretary since 1997 and was previously Assistant General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary. The previous General Secretary (1989–96) was Elizabeth Symons and the one before her was John Ward
(1980–88). The first full time General Secretary was Norman Ellis who was appointed in 1974.
In 1996, then Labour Party
leader Tony Blair
was criticised after he proposed outgoing FDA General Secretary Liz Symons for a peerage.
At the 2006 TUC Conference, Baume was heckled when he spoke against support for the Trade Union Freedom Bill.
Its over 19,000 members include Whitehall policy advisers and senior managers, tax inspectors, economist
Economist
An economist is a professional in the social science discipline of economics. The individual may also study, develop, and apply theories and concepts from economics and write about economic policy...
s and statistician
Statistician
A statistician is someone who works with theoretical or applied statistics. The profession exists in both the private and public sectors. The core of that work is to measure, interpret, and describe the world and human activity patterns within it...
s, government-employed lawyers, crown prosecutors
Crown Prosecution Service
The Crown Prosecution Service, or CPS, is a non-ministerial department of the Government of the United Kingdom responsible for public prosecutions of people charged with criminal offences in England and Wales. Its role is similar to that of the longer-established Crown Office in Scotland, and the...
, procurators fiscal, schools inspectors, diplomats, senior national museum staff, senior civil servants, accountants and National Health Service
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
(NHS) managers.
The organisation was founded as the Association of First Division Civil Servants, before changing name to FDA in 2000.
Membership structure and affiliations
Its federal structure means that some of its members do not join FDA directly, but rather an affiliated organisation. In particular, senior staff at HM Revenue and Customs apply to the Association of Revenue and CustomsAssociation of Revenue and Customs
The Association of Revenue and Customs is a trade union and also a subdivision of the FDA trade union which represents senior managers and professionals working in HM Revenue and Customs...
(ARC), and management in the NHS
National Health Service
The National Health Service is the shared name of three of the four publicly funded healthcare systems in the United Kingdom. They provide a comprehensive range of health services, the vast majority of which are free at the point of use to residents of the United Kingdom...
join Managers in Partnership (MiP).
The FDA is an affiliate of the Trades Union Congress
Trades Union Congress
The Trades Union Congress is a national trade union centre, a federation of trade unions in the United Kingdom, representing the majority of trade unions...
, the Scottish Trades Union Congress
Scottish Trades Union Congress
The Scottish Trades Union Congress is the co-ordinating body of trade unions, and local Trades Councils, in Scotland. With 39 affiliated unions as of 2007, the STUC represents around 630,000 trade unionists....
, the Wales TUC
Wales TUC
The Wales TUC is the co-ordinating body of trade unions in Wales. With over 50 affiliated unions as of 2006, the Wales TUC represents nearly half a million workers trade unionists....
and the Irish Congress of Trade Unions
Irish Congress of Trade Unions
The Irish Congress of Trade Unions , formed in 1959 by the merger of the Irish Trade Union Congress and the Congress of Irish Unions , is a national trade union centre, the umbrella organisation to which trade unions in both the Republic of Ireland and Northern Ireland affiliate.-Influence:There...
but is not affiliated to the Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
or any other political party. The FDA is also affiliated to Public Services International
Public Services International
Public Services International is a global union federation of public sector trade unions. It 620 affiliated unions, in 160 countries, representing 20 million workers...
.
Name
Despite often being known (particularly in the British press) as the "First Division Association", the legal name is "FDA". It describes itself as 'FDA - the union of choice for senior managers and professionals in public service'.The original name, 'The Association of First Division Civil Servants' was chosen because it represented first division clerks, as opposed to the Second Division Association, which represented more junior clerks. Although the terms first and second division clerks were abolished in the 1920s, it proved impossible to agree on an alternative name, and the name remained until 2000 when, following a motion to the union's annual delegate conference, the official name became "FDA".
General Secretary
Jonathan BaumeJonathan Baume
Jonathan Edward Baume has been General Secretary of the FDA since 1997 and a member of the General Council of the Trades Union Congress since 2001.- Education :...
has been General Secretary since 1997 and was previously Assistant General Secretary and Deputy General Secretary. The previous General Secretary (1989–96) was Elizabeth Symons and the one before her was John Ward
John William Ward (manager)
John William Ward is an economist, an opera administrator and former trade union leader.He was educated at Christ Church, Oxford and the University of East Anglia .- Career :* Bank of England, 1965-74...
(1980–88). The first full time General Secretary was Norman Ellis who was appointed in 1974.
In 1996, then Labour Party
Labour Party (UK)
The Labour Party is a centre-left democratic socialist party in the United Kingdom. It surpassed the Liberal Party in general elections during the early 1920s, forming minority governments under Ramsay MacDonald in 1924 and 1929-1931. The party was in a wartime coalition from 1940 to 1945, after...
leader Tony Blair
Tony Blair
Anthony Charles Lynton Blair is a former British Labour Party politician who served as the Prime Minister of the United Kingdom from 2 May 1997 to 27 June 2007. He was the Member of Parliament for Sedgefield from 1983 to 2007 and Leader of the Labour Party from 1994 to 2007...
was criticised after he proposed outgoing FDA General Secretary Liz Symons for a peerage.
At the 2006 TUC Conference, Baume was heckled when he spoke against support for the Trade Union Freedom Bill.