Former Post Office HR Director Writes to MPs in Plea for Support
A former HR director at the Post Office has reached out to Members of Parliament in a bid to seek support for her case. Jane Davies, who held the position for seven months from December 2022 until her dismissal, claims that she was subjected to a targeted campaign by Chief Executive Nick Read after failing to secure him a satisfactory pay rise.
In a letter dated March and released by the Business and Trade Committee on Tuesday, Ms. Davies stated that the first eight weeks of her role as Group Chief People Officer were consumed by Mr. Read’s demands for higher pay. This comes after former Post Office chairman Henry Staunton alleged that Mr. Read had threatened to resign multiple times over the issue. However, Mr. Read has denied this allegation.
In her letter, Ms. Davies expressed her support for Mr. Staunton’s version of events, as he had testified to the committee in February. She wrote, “He [Mr. Read] regarded the final offer of a 5% increase as insulting. As a result, he viewed me as a failure for not delivering the desired remuneration increase. This led to a deliberate campaign to defame and ostracise me.”
Ms. Davies also shared that her initial impression of Mr. Read, whom she described as charming, had changed to someone who was not genuine or honest. She also claimed that he lacked concern or care for employees, postmasters, and those who had been wronged. She added that the role she was recruited for was not what it seemed, and that cultural change, which needed to start with senior leaders, was not a priority for Mr. Read.
Last week, the Post Office announced that Mr. Read had been cleared of all misconduct allegations following an independent review into the bullying claims. This issue has added to the organization’s challenges as it faces a public inquiry over the mishandling of the Horizon IT scandal, which resulted in numerous sub-postmasters being wrongly convicted of theft and fraud. The government has also taken steps to expedite compensation for those affected.
In a separate letter released by the committee on Tuesday, Mr. Staunton expressed his concerns over the lack of clarity surrounding the investigation into Mr. Read’s conduct. He also mentioned a complaint raised by a whistleblower, which he believes was related to allegations of inappropriate and potentially offensive language used by Mr. Read. Mr. Staunton stated, “The implications of the allegations, namely that I am racist and misogynistic, are deeply distressing, contested by everyone who knows me, and not reflective of my behavior as a diversity advocate in all the organizations I have worked for, including the Post Office.”
He also questioned how these allegations were included in an investigation that was prompted by a whistleblower complaint about alleged bullying by the chief executive, especially since the complaint was not directed at him and did not mention him by name.
The Business and Trade Committee declined to comment on the contents of the letters when it released them. A spokesperson for the Post Office responded by stating that a reputable barrister had recently conducted a comprehensive and impartial investigation, which cleared Mr. Read of all misconduct allegations. The spokesperson added, “Our focus remains on providing redress for postmasters, learning from past mistakes, and building an organization that can overcome future challenges.”
