Fujitsu UK is rewarding workers for assembly a gross sales threshold, in additional proof that the corporate’s gesture to pause bidding for public sector contracts was a “hole” one.
In keeping with sources, all UK workers will obtain a bonus this 12 months after a gross sales goal was reached, whereas headquarters in Japan is injecting one other £80m into the UK enterprise.
After the nationwide outrage which adopted ITV’s drama concerning the Publish Workplace scandal, Fujitsu – which provided the defective software program on the centre of the scandal – mentioned it might pause bidding for profitable authorities contracts.
However the bidding pause was described as a “hole” gesture by peer and long-time campaigner for subpostmasters Kevan Jones, with Fujitsu persevering with to money in on authorities work, utilizing workarounds.
The provider’s Horizon retail and accounting software program has been utilized by the Publish Workplace because it was first launched into branches in 2000. Subpostmasters had been blamed and punished for unexplained account shortfalls which had been brought on by software program errors.
Former subpostmaster Jo Hamilton, who was wrongly prosected and convicted of false accounting because of unexplained losses, mentioned the bonus for Fujitsu workers “rubs salt into the injuries”.
“The non-existent bidding pause is an insult to the subpostmasters who’re ready for monetary redress. Fujitsu might dip its hand into its deep pockets and assist the federal government to get on and pay everybody earlier than they die,” she mentioned.
Fujitsu wouldn’t touch upon the workers bonus.
The provider’s promise to pause bidding solely referred to new enterprise and it has continued to bid for and win contracts with public sector our bodies the place it already has relationships, of which there are numerous.
For instance, HM Income & Customs (HMRC) – described as a “money cow” for Fujitsu – has continued to award giant contracts. Fujitsu might land over half a billion kilos in contracts from HMRC alone this 12 months as the general public sector continues to reward the corporate, regardless of its position within the widest miscarriage of justice in UK historical past.
HMRC is the largest supply of Fujitsu’s UK authorities revenue, however there are lots of of hundreds of thousands of kilos extra contracts throughout the general public sector, which Fujitsu has or is bidding for. Pc Weekly not too long ago revealed a deal between HMRC and Fujitsu for {hardware} and cloud procurement, price over £200m and often known as North Star, the place there was no aggressive tender. HMRC can be extending its Pc Surroundings for Self-Evaluation (CESA) contract price simply shy of £60m, the place Fujitsu is the incumbent.
For the broader public sector, the determine is considerably greater. For instance, in December 2024, Fujitsu gained a one-year extension to its Horizon contract with the government-owned Publish Workplace, price £40m. In keeping with a supply, there is also as much as a dozen extra potential HMRC offers within the pipeline, in addition to a number of Dwelling Workplace contracts and offers with the Ministry of Defence, to call only a few.
In the meantime the corporate’s headquarters in Japan is about to inject an additional £80m into its UK enterprise, which won’t go in direction of compensating victims of the scandal.
A Fujitsu spokesperson mentioned: “This funding strengthens [our] long-term monetary well being and competitiveness, and displays Fujitsu’s continued dedication to the UK. That is a part of a daily company evaluate course of overlaying all authorized entities within the Fujitsu group. It’s unrelated to our ongoing conversations with authorities relating to contribution to compensation.”
Fujitsu has not but agreed how a lot of the billion-pound-plus price of the scandal it should cowl. After a gathering with Fujitsu in Tokyo final month, enterprise and commerce secretary Jonathan Reynolds mentioned there was an settlement to start talks on compensation. Thus far, Fujitsu has mentioned it might wait till the general public inquiry’s conclusion earlier than committing to talks.
The Publish Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Pc Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters – together with Hamilton – and the issues they suffered on account of accounting software program. It is without doubt one of the largest miscarriages of justice in British historical past (see beneath for timeline of Pc Weekly articles concerning the scandal, since 2009).
