A member of Fujitsu’s prime workforce of executives informed workers he expects the agency to expertise about 12 to 18 months of “flux” within the UK earlier than getting again into “all people’s good books”. He stated this can come after Fujitsu headquarters pays its contribution to the prices of the Put up Workplace scandal.
The remark got here in July this 12 months, days after the publication of a report that linked the scandal, which Fujitsu fuelled, to 13 suicides, 10 tried suicides and 59 individuals considering suicide.
As revealed by Laptop Weekly final week, in a recording, the enterprise chief, whose identification is thought to Laptop Weekly, described the primary report from the Put up Workplace Horizon scandal public inquiry, which linked Fujitsu’s software program to the suicides, as “not that dangerous”.
• Learn extra: Fujitsu boss stated Put up Workplace inquiry report wasn’t ‘that dangerous’, regardless of hyperlink to suicides •
In the identical assembly recording, heard by Laptop Weekly, the now departed member of Fujitsu’s prime UK management workforce additionally stated he expects the corporate to return to regular buying and selling in as little as a 12 months.
He informed colleagues: “My private prediction [is] 12 to 18 months of this kind of flux, after which as soon as we’ve really made the contribution [towards scandal costs], I feel there would be the complete self-cleaning course of, after which I feel we needs to be again to regular buying and selling phrases.
“I nonetheless really feel as an organisation within the UK, we’re constructed to service the general public sector – our supply mannequin, our individuals, {our capability}. Much less so for the personal sector…”
Fujitsu’s historical past within the authorities sector dates again to its acquisition of British IT firm ICL within the Nineties. In its most up-to-date monetary 12 months, it made gross sales value £450m to the UK public sector.
“I’m eager that we don’t lose that benefit as properly, whereas we undergo the pipe cleansing, the self-cleaning, and we get again into all people’s good books,” stated the enterprise chief within the July assembly.
It’s well beyond time that the federal government recognised that Fujitsu will not be a match and correct organisation to be concerned in authorities contracts James Arbuthnot, Conservative MP
The chief, who’s leaving Fujitsu, apologised for his feedback through an organization electronic mail account: “I’m very sorry if my phrases have brought about hurt to any of the victims of the Put up Workplace Horizon scandal. I’m not concerned in, or answerable for, Fujitsu’s response to the Put up Workplace Horizon IT Inquiry. This was my very own private hypothesis that I shared with my workforce as a part of a personal and casual dialogue.”
However one Fujitsu employee stated: “I didn’t hear something from some other chief concerning the public inquiry report, however primarily based on their different behaviour relating to subpostmasters, workers, and many others, he wasn’t a rogue voice, he simply spoke with out the company filter that normally hides their lack of empathy and indifference behind polished, PR regret.”
A Fujitsu UK spokesperson confirmed the senior enterprise chief had left the corporate, however didn’t give any cause for his exit. “We thank [him] for his efforts and want him each success for the longer term,” they stated.
Peer James Arbuthnot, who has campaigned for justice for affected subpostmasters for over 15 years, requested: “…[Fujitsu] count on to get again into the nation’s good books? Actually?”
He listed Fujitsu’s obligations for what unfolded over the 25 years of the Put up Workplace scandal.
“It was Fujitsu’s software program and {hardware} that did not work and that brought about false figures to land the subpostmasters in such horrible hassle. It was Fujitsu’s proof in court docket that the software program and {hardware} had been to not blame,” stated Arbuthnot.
“It was Fujitsu that stated they might not remotely alter the subpostmasters’ accounts once they had been doing so on an industrial scale. After which Fujitsu watched silently as subpostmasters had been sued, prosecuted, imprisoned and, in essentially the most tragic instances, took their very own lives.”
• Learn extra: Fujitsu’s function within the Put up Workplace scandal: Every part you must know •
He informed Laptop Weekly: “They haven’t proven the smallest little bit of regret for this, they usually haven’t paid a penny in compensation. It’s well beyond time that the federal government recognised that Fujitsu will not be a match and correct organisation to be concerned in authorities contracts.”
Reacting to a LinkedIn submit by Arbuthnot about final week’s Laptop Weekly eposé of the interior Fujitsu assembly, Clark Vasey, who was head of company affairs at Fujitsu from 2014 till this 12 months, stated: “Doing the correct factor is all the time the correct factor for a enterprise to do. If there was a real need to do this, [Fujitsu] would have acted lengthy prior to now.
“The feedback are surprising, however communicate to a deliberate and well-established strategy to this scandal. Avoiding penalties at no matter price is the logical conclusion anybody can draw about their technique. By their actions, [it is clear] UK management care little for the victims, their households, the taxpayer or certainly their very own workers.”
Quickly after the ITV drama of the Put up Workplace scandal stirred the general public and authorities in January 2024, Fujitsu introduced it could pause bidding for presidency contracts till completion of the statutory public inquiry into the scandal, which had already been operating for 2 years.
However, as revealed by Laptop Weekly in April final 12 months, Fujitsu instructed workers methods to get round its personal ban by means of technicalities. The recording this July revealed the highest workforce government reaffirming that workers may proceed to bid for presidency contracts by means of associate companies.
There was a decline in Fujitsu’s UK public sector enterprise, with, for instance, its “money cow” HM Income & Customs (HMRC) plotting a transfer away from the provider by means of a contract value £500m, designed to exit the provider’s providers. The tender from Might this 12 months is the clearest signal that HMRC is able to break free and is in search of a provider for a 10-year Knowledge Centre Exit (DCE) contract, which is able to start in April 2026.
Moreover, Fujitsu will now not service the Put up Workplace when its contract involves an finish in March subsequent 12 months, ending a circulate of billions of kilos of taxpayer money to the provider. However the prime government’s feedback counsel Fujitsu is assured of profitable substantial enterprise within the sector, which accounts for half its revenues.
Personal sector organisations have additionally turn into acutely aware of the implications of working with the scandal-tainted provider. For instance, Fujitsu misplaced out on a contract with British Gasoline proprietor Centrica after the corporate’s board, terrified of reputational harm, blocked it, regardless of the troubled provider being the popular bidder.
Fujitsu is attempting to restore its fame by investing closely in a PR marketing campaign.
In April 2024, months after the ITV drama, Laptop Weekly revealed that Fujitsu had spent £27m on a mission often called Holly, established to assist the provider by means of the Put up Workplace scandal ramifications, with the contracting of public relations, enterprise ethics and legislation companies.
The provider continues to be targeted on its fame. Through the recorded assembly, the Fujitsu government stated: “This can be a time for us to really exit and begin getting that Fujitsu story on the market. So hopefully, there might be a viewpoint that we begin placing out that offers our clients the boldness that they did the correct factor by standing by us and backing us, as a result of they might have additionally had another reactions.”
Through the assembly, the highest government stated half two of the general public inquiry report “might be vital” to the corporate.
The second, extra substantial report, due subsequent 12 months, will cowl the remaining six phases. Pertinent to Fujitsu’s function, the remaining phases coated points together with the Horizon IT system’s historical past, its operation, and authorized actions towards subpostmasters.
When the second a part of the general public inquiry report is printed subsequent 12 months, Fujitsu might be uncovered to very large public stress.
The Put up Workplace scandal was first uncovered by Laptop Weekly in 2009, revealing the tales of seven subpostmasters and the issues they suffered because of the accounting software program (see timeline of Laptop Weekly articles concerning the scandal beneath).
