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The country's largest civil service union, PCS, has condemned the suggestion that public servants should put forward ideas for spending cuts as breathtakingly arrogant and deceitful.

 Responding to David Cameron and Nick Clegg’s letter to Britain’s six million public servants, the union said it was clearly a gimmick, designed to back up the claim that “we’re all in this together”.

The union argues that cuts are unnecessary and fundamentally unfair and is calling for a campaign across the trade union movement and in local communities for an alternative approach.

Contrary to the government’s claims that public spending is out of control, PCS says spending in the UK is among the lowest in Europe.

The union is calling on the government to plug the budget deficit by ploughing resources into collecting the £130 billion of tax that it evaded or avoided each year by Britain’s wealthiest citizens, rather than cutting hard working civil and public servants.

The proposed Robin Hood Tax on financial speculation could raise $400 billion globally. Stopping the replacement of Trident nuclear weapons would save £78 billion over 30 years. Millions could also be saved by getting rid of consultants and from the waste of holding 230 separate pay negotiations in the civil and public services. Millions more could be saved from putting an end to privatisation.

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Asking public servants to vote for their own cuts is breathtakingly arrogant and deceitful. Far from being 'all in this together', the approach the government is taking will hit the poorest and most vulnerable in society the hardest. As well as massive welfare cuts it is also freezing the pay of the very public sector workers that Mr Cameron and Mr Clegg now thank for their hard work.

“We need investment in public services, not cuts, to help pull the economy out of recession. Creating jobs would boost employment and tax revenue.”