Royal Mail, NHS, Rail, Junior Doctors & Other Strike Issues

Nobby's quiet about this one.

"Imagine being in such a state you have to start checking crisps packets for a mention of the eu"

You did. 😉

Another long standing dispute sorted. Who would have thought that if you sit around a table and negotiate you could get a dispute resolution at less than people were demanding.
It's a mystery why the Tories couldn't do it. Oh of course they wanted it to continue....

www.theguardian.com/business/2024/sep/18/aslef-train-drivers-vote-to-back-pay-deal-and-end-two-year-stand-off

That tenner you we me😂

Post Office boss Nick Read gives second day of evidence at inquiry..by BBC reporters

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The chief executive of the Post Office Nick Read is giving a second day of evidence at the public inquiry into the Horizon IT scandal

On his first day of evidence yesterday, the outgoing Post Office boss said he was told "not to dig into" details of the Horizon scandal when he joined the business in 2019

The death of former sub-postmistress Gill Blakey was announced at the inquiry - her husband said in a statement her only regret was that she couldn't live to see "real justice done"

The inquiry is scrutinising failings over the wrongful prosecutions of hundreds of sub-postmasters based on faulty accounting software which made it look as though money was missing from branches

Post Office boss Nick Read gives third day of evidence at inquiry..by Peter Ruddick, Business reporter

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Has the Post Office sufficiently changed in the past five years?

There were lots of topics covered again today. Many questions. Countless documents. But one key theme.

We began with the new sub-postmaster contract. It still includes reference to investigations and interviews under caution.

Is that really appropriate? Nick Read admitted it was not but assured the inquiry his investigators had changed, even if the contract hadn't been updated properly.

Is it right that some people working for the Post Office at the height of the scandal are still there? Read said they had "struggled" to "move people on", despite apparent government encouragement.

Finally, redress and compensation. Was the Post Office dragging its heels because of "historic, dyed in the wool prejudice"? Again, Read said no. When faced with emotional examples, he said he regretted how long it was all taking.

But, a document from the setting up of the very first scheme did appear to suggest hurdles were put in place.

Still no discussion of Read's own pay. Tomorrow might not be any easier for the outgoing boss.




Another report from Emma Simpson, Business correspondent

Before winding up his questions, Jason Beer KC got onto the topic of outgoing Post Office chief executive Nick Read’s pay.

We’ve heard a lot from a series of witnesses about his desire for more money.

“Did your repeated grievances and complaints about remuneration become too significant a feature with your tenure and interfere with your ability to carry out your role?” he was asked.

No, he replied.

He admitted to being very frustrated at times but denied ever threatening to resign.

Sam Stein KC, acting for sub-postmasters, wanted to know where all the money taken from sub-postmasters ended up.

Read said they had external forensic accountants trying to find out: £36m had so far been identified between 1999-2015, after assessing claims from the two main Post Office schemes.

"It’s our best endeavour in terms of where we’ve got to," he said.

Stein said the figure was now growing because it was clear many sub-postmasters were still paying for current shortfalls out of their own money.

Read repeatedly stressed that the Post Office wasn’t forcing people into making good any losses they didn’t agree with, but acknowledged that message wasn’t getting through.


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Alan Bates gives evidence to MPs over compensation for Post Office scandal victims..by Jeremy Culley

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Sir Alan Bates is giving evidence to a parliamentary committee that is considering fast and fair redress for victims of the Post Office Horizon scandal

Bates leads the Justice for Subpostmasters Alliance, campaigning on behalf of hundreds of sub-postmasters wrongly convicted after faulty software showed money missing from their branch accounts

It comes after it was announced in last week's Budget that £1.8bn has been set aside for victims of the scandal

Bates has previously hit out at the length of time it is taking for the government to pay financial redress


Sir Alan Bates poured his life savings into a Post Office branch in Llandudno, north Wales, but was sacked in 2003 after faulty Horizon software showed up discrepancies in his accounts.

This helped spur him to start up the Justice For Subpostmasters Alliance in 2009, a group that took on the Post Office in the courts and eventually won.

Public interest in the long-running scandal was reignited in January this year after an ITV dramatisation of the scandal, which focused on the fight of Bates and other sub-postmasters who took part in the landmark group legal action.

It has been an eventful year for Bates. In August he married his long-term partner Suzanne Sercombe on Sir Richard Branson's private island in the Caribbean, with the Virgin tycoon officiating at the ceremony.

In September, he was knighted for services to justice after being named in the King's Birthday Honours in June.