Australia's 165,000 federal public servants are on a collision course with the government over their new 12 per cent wage claim.

The main public sector union has submitted its log of claims for this year's enterprise bargaining talks, calling for guaranteed wage rises of 4 per cent each year for the three-year life of the deal.

But with the government determined to take a razor to its public sector wage bill, a pay demand of nearly twice the rate of inflation sets the scene for a bruising industrial battle this year.

With enterprise agreements in 117 departments and agencies, employing about 165,000 workers, due to expire in June, the two sides have not even agreed on terms for the negotiations.

Agreement has yet to be reached on whether the talks will be held on an agency-by-agency basis or if the new deal will be centrally agreed and tailored by individual departments as necessary.