The Simon ' news thread

[TrueBlueTerrier]

https://www.thisismoney.co.uk/money/mar ... ators.html

The future of Royal Mail boss Simon Thompson is in doubt after he was criticised by MPs and regulators.

In a damning report published today, the House of Commons business committee accused him of ‘either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness’.

It also said Thompson ‘intentionally or inadvertently’ misled MPs and called on Ofcom to investigate – prompting a further broadside from the regulator.



‘Royal Mail’s recent performance is clearly well short of where it should be,’ Ofcom said. ‘We’re very concerned about this and have asked the company to explain what it’s doing to bring service levels back up, as a matter of urgency.’

'Ofcom is preparing its own assessment and ‘won’t hesitate to take enforcement action’.

The comments pile pressure on Thompson as he struggles to turn Royal Mail around in the face of a wave of strikes and mounting losses.

In its report, the committee said it had breached its universal service obligation (USO), which compels it to deliver letters six days a week.

It cited evidence some workers were told to prioritise parcels over letters. MPs also asked the Information Commissioner to investigate claims Royal Mail used data from personal digital assistants (PDAs) to track workers.


The company denies this is its policy. But the report accused Thompson of ‘intentionally or inadvertently’ misleading MPs when he said it was not his understanding PDA data was used to monitor performance.

‘I find it hard to believe that such widespread breaches of company policy and legal obligations are down to a national network of rogue workers conspiring against management,’ said committee chairman Darren Jones MP.


‘We were inundated with evidence from postal workers challenging the accuracy of answers given by Simon Thompson.

‘The failures in company policy which Mr Thompson admitted to can only be due to either an unacceptable level of incompetence or an unacceptable level of cluelessness about what is happening at Royal Mail.

Hiding behind the pandemic as a driving factor in failures does not cut it.

‘Ofcom must start enforcement proceedings to ensure everyone gets a consistent service wherever they are.’

Royal Mail rejected claims it misled the committee, saying it had ‘answered in detail the questions asked’ and was reviewing policies around deliveries.

It said ‘challenges’ facing the business and the USO ‘cannot be ignored’. ‘We urge the Government, Ofcom and all stakeholders to work with us to ensure we have a financially sustainable universal service for many years to come,’ a spokesman said.

[youngoffender]

A welcome development, but Ofcom's statement ("We're very concerned about this") is disingenuous to say the least. It suggests that they were blissfully unaware of any such problems until the MPs kindly pointed it out to them. They have known about this systematic disregard of the USO for ages and have been completely useless in addressing it.

[KilledOff]

We have now published our Royal Mail report.


Read it here: https://t.co/ZMYefawdoR

[POSTMAN]

BEIS Select Committee report on Royal Mail
Today the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy Select Committee published its report following the two recent committee hearings Royal Mail attended.

The report has recommended that Ofcom reviews Royal Mail’s delivery of the USO and reports to the Committee by the end of 2023. This follows issues raised during evidence to the Committee.

Royal Mail is proud to deliver the Universal Service, and our policies are clear that parcels and letters should be treated with equal importance. We have informed the Committee that we will be reviewing the consistent application of our policies regarding the delivery of letters and parcels across the business, and we’ll share our findings with the Committee and Ofcom.

The Committee also:

• Recognises that the landscape for the USO has changed a great deal ‘perhaps decisively’ since the USO came into force in 2012, and calls on the Government to formally engage with Royal Mail ‘to secure the future of the USO and Royal Mail’ and provide an initial report to the Committee by the end of 2024

• Calls on Royal Mail and the CWU to resolve outstanding issues in the dispute as quickly as possible

• Recommends that the Information Commissioner reviews the use of PDA data by Royal Mail by the end of 2023.

Although the Committee can make recommendations, any decisions about future reviews or investigations are a matter for Ofcom, the Information Commissioner or Government.

We welcome the fact that the Committee acknowledges that the commercial reality of providing the Universal Service has changed and has urged the Government to engage with Royal Mail. The challenges facing Royal Mail and the Universal Service cannot be ignored. We will continue to urge the Government, Ofcom and all stakeholders to work with us to ensure we have a financially sustainable Universal Service for many years to come.

[POSTMAN]

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