Skip to content
Search
AI Powered
Latest Stories

'Minority ethnic Post office operators more likely to have been threatened with suspension than white counterparts'

'Minority ethnic Post office operators more likely to have been threatened with suspension than white counterparts'
(Photo by Dan Kitwood/Getty Images)

Post office operators from a minority ethnic background were more likely to have been threatened with suspension than those from a white background, a recent survey of post office operators has found.

As the final phase of the inquiry into the faulty computer system began, the results of a recent survey shows operators are still struggling with bugs in the system, that trust in the organisation is low and that they believe compensation should be higher.


Almost 98 per cent of post office operators who participated in a survey as part of the inquiry into the IT scandal who continue to encounter “discrepancies” with the system have said the issue involved a financial shortfall.

Nearly 70 per cent of the respondents to two anonymous surveys, which were sent to 16,000 post office operators, said they had experienced an “unexplained discrepancy” on the Fujitsu-built IT system since January 2020.

The survey also found that post office operators from a minority ethnic background were more likely to have been threatened with suspension than those from a white background.

In total, 80 of more than 1,000 respondents said that they had been threatened with suspension by the Post Office in the past. Operators from minority ethnic backgrounds were three times more likely to have been suspended and reinstated, YouGov found, The Guardian reported.

The report shows that eight post office operators said they had been suspended, or threatened with suspension, in the past three years after problems with discrepancies with the IT system.

When asked how these discrepancies were typically resolved, almost three-quarters of respondents said they had to use either their branch’s money or their own to resolve the mis-balance.

Most operators said they felt “undervalued” by the Post Office and that it was not trying to improve its relationship with operators.

More than 68 per cent disagreed that the Post Office was professionally managed, 65 per cent said it was not a trustworthy organisation, and 55 per cent disagreed with the statement that it had learned lessons from the scandal.

The survey findings come a week after it emerged that Nick Read, the chief executive of the Post Office who is due to give evidence to the inquiry next month, is to step down next year.

The final phase of the inquiry, which is being chaired by the former high court judge Sir Wyn Williams, is looking into the practices and culture of the Post Office, as well as its delivery of compensation to wrongfully prosecuted post office operators.

More for you

C-store body warns of 'inflation-busting increase in wage costs'
Woman Holding British Pound
Getty Images/iStockphoto

C-store body warns of 'inflation-busting increase in wage costs'

Convenience store body Association of Convenience Stores (ACS) today (30) has warned the Chancellor about the negative effects of the new National Living Wage (NLW) increase, a day after the Chancellor announced a pay rise for over 3 million workers next year, with NLW rates rising by 6.7 perc cent.

From April 2025, the NLW will increase from £11.44 to £12.21 while 18-20 National Minimum Wage will rise by £1.40 per hour to £10 - the largest increase on record, marking the first step towards a single adult rate.

Keep ReadingShow less
Bacup Wine and Convenience shop, 34 Burnley Road, Bacup.

Bacup Wine and Convenience shop, 34 Burnley Road, Bacup.

Robbie MacDonald via LDRS

Shop’s licence bid rejected over illegal vapes and ‘no regard’ for children’s safety

A Rossendale shop has had a licence bid rejected after repeatedly selling vapes to children and having illegal products on its premises.

Management at the Ibra Superstore at 34 Burnley Road, Bacup, have shown ‘no regard’ for children’s protection and safety, and have insufficient controls for licensing, Rossendale councillors have ruled.

Keep ReadingShow less
SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR retailer hits target to secure £100,000 free stock from James Hall

SPAR North of England retailer Dara Singh Randhawa’s family store has been awarded £100,000 of free stock after hitting all his targets since moving to the symbol.

Dara and his family, who have their SPAR store in Patrington in the East Riding of Yorkshire, joined SPAR through its association with James Hall & Co. Ltd in August 2023 having taken the decision to maximise the store’s potential.

Keep ReadingShow less
Pound Sterling bank notes
iStock

National Living Wage to increase to £12.21 in April 2025

The government has on Wednesday announced its acceptance of the Low Pay Commission’s (LPC) recommendations on the rates of the National Minimum Wage (NMW), including the National Living Wage (NLW).

The rates which will apply from 1 April 2025 are as follows:

Keep ReadingShow less
Michael Fletcher

Michael Fletcher

Former Nisa chief Michael Fletcher appointed SPAR UK managing director

SPAR UK has announced the appointment of Michael Fletcher as its new managing director.

Fletcher spent 22 years at Tesco plc, where he held numerous senior commercial roles in the UK, Ireland and Asia. He joined Co-op Retail in 2013 where he held the position of chief commercial officer before moving on to become CEO of Nisa Wholesale, a role he held until 2022.

Keep ReadingShow less