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Simon Thompson recalled by parliamentary committee to answer for alleged false claims
The Communication Workers Union (CWU) has spoken out about the decision of a committee of MPs to recall Royal Mail CEO Simon Thompson to Parliament to answer for allegedly misleading in his answers to the Business, Energy and Industrial Strategy (BEIS) Committee alongside company chair Keith Williams last week.
Thompson told the committee that Royal Mail did not use its ‘Postal Digital Assistant’ system to track workers’ productivity and push staff to work faster – and also denied that Royal Mail policy prioritises parcels, potentially compromising the delivery of the universal service obligation (USO) that guarantees a minimum mail service. The Committee is also seeking clarity on statements made by Thompson on employee sick pay arrangements.
BEIS Committee Chair Darren Jones said:
Since Mr Thompson appeared before the Committee last week we’ve had significant quantities of evidence that suggest his answers may not have been wholly correct.
Giving inaccurate information to a Parliamentary Committee, whether by accident or otherwise, is taken very seriously. We must get to the bottom of these inconsistencies on behalf of Parliament and intend to do so during this additional hearing.
Responding to the concerns that Thompson may have misled parliament in last week’s hearing, a CWU spokesperson said:
In the interests of democracy and public standards, we wholeheartedly welcome this decision.
Politicians tasked by voters to conduct scrutinising work with the greatest possible knowledge and clarity have grave concerns about Simon Thompson’s evasive conduct.
These concerns are shared by millions of people, who need to know the facts from those who run the postal services they rely on, and deserve to be treated with the utmost seriousness.
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