Unions letting down public servants: Lloyd

The man overseeing the public service has taken a swipe at unions, saying they are letting down some commonwealth public servants during the bargaining process.

To date 34 pay agreements have been settled but many more remain stuck in negotiations, even after the government raised its pay offer to six per cent over three years.

"The CPSU is entitled to campaign vigorously. However, at times the union position borders on a scare campaign that misrepresents the position of the employer," John Lloyd, the public service commissioner, writes in The Australian on Friday.

Senior executives from Qantas, ANZ, Telstra and Australia Post have also been drafted to advise top bureaucrats on making the public service management more "business-like", Mr Lloyd confirmed.

Senior human resources managers from the companies will soon convene small workshops, with topics to include performance and talent management.

"It's quite an exciting time, actually," he told the paper.