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Proactive Investors – boss Simon Thompson owned up to a parliamentary committee that postal workers were tracked and had speeds recorded, backtracking on previous answers he had given.
Tracking devices have been used, the chief executive of parent company International Distributions Services PLC admitted while facing questions from MPs on Wednesday, having been dragged back to give more evidence to the business committee after doubts were raised about his answers in a previous grilling in January.
Thompson, who is locked in a dispute with workers over pay and conditions, had claimed he was unaware of technology that could track workers and that it was not used to punish staff.
But he admitted on Wednesday a system was indeed in place and was used to “balance workloads”.
Prior to questioning, Thompson and IDS chairman Keith Williams were made to swear an oath, as MP Darren Jones warned misleading the committee could breach the law.
“I remind the witnesses that you are obliged to tell the whole truth to this committee and any failure to do so will be considered a contempt of parliament and a potential perjury,” he said.
Thompson suggested the trackers had been abused by some managers to punish staff in disciplinary cases, but added this was against Royal Mail’s “very clear policy” and 2018 agreement with the Communication Workers Union.
He also U-turned on answers about the courier’s policy on parcel and letter deliveries, admitting that prioritisations were actually made during and after strike days, of which there has been 18 since August.
Thompson said different policies had to be made “in realities of industrial action,” having called any claims of the changes “absolutely not true” in January.
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