Civil servants - come and share tales of swingeing cuts in your department

[Wigeon]

Any other civil servants out there? I am in a Whitehall department and they've just announced the voluntary redundancy scheme - they are hoping for up to 1,000 people from HQ to take it - there's only about 3,000 people in HQ so that's a massive reduction (we also have a big agency in the regions and they are quaking in their boots, expecting big cuts too).

I am trying to think through all the pros and cons of taking up the scheme versus staying and it's making my head hurt!

No colour photocopying and no refreshments at external meetings seems pretty trivial now. Everyone rather depressed!

Any one else fancy sharing what's going on in your department?

Im on a career break and would be interested in redundancy- I dont intend to go back ever.

Wonder what 11years service would get me....

I think it would be management first though and Im only an AO grade.

im a civil servant too and pregnant 23 wks. am now at risk of redundancy and with only 2 years service im what is technically known as stuffed. cant look for a job, am main breadwinner and the future looks bleak - is this what the coalition gov meant when they talked about family friendly policy??? and all around me i see demonisation of the civil service - I had no idea I was so wicked - apparently i caused the deficit, it was my waste and incompetence that has driven this country to its knees and when I cant pay the mortgage i will be a benefits scrounger and when i lose my rag cause I cant buy the kids the things they need I will be a typical neet. I thought i was just doing a job - i believed in the system, but seems I was wrong. apparently if gov policy doesn't work thats my fault too as I have deliberately caused it to fail - looks like i cant win