The Post Office & Horizon

 

 

How did the world become as cynical as it has in recent years? That it has taken so long for the Post Office to admit culpability - reluctantly and under legal duress - for the unmitigated disaster that was Horizon and its subsequent ruination of the lives of so many dedicated and hard-working sub-postmasters is testimony in itself to this cynicism. That they lied, covered up and doubled down on those lies when faced with reasoned opposition, dispels any doubt that their actions were deliberate.

Any reasonable employer, when faced with the kind of accounting anomalies that suddenly presented themselves on adoption of a new IT system, would have tasked the software developers with the issue first, rather than leaping to the erroneous conclusion that hundreds of hitherto dedicated employees, many of very long standing in the postal service, had all suddenly turned rogue and started embezzling funds from their own post offices.

Any reasonable employer would have made damned sure they were on firm ground before pursuing the course the Post Office took. Where on earth was the trust? That the errors were so obviously anomalous and the timing of their appearance coincident with the rollout of the software should, one would think, have given reasonable pause for thought. An employer has a duty of care to its employees, which extends to the disciplinary process. Unfortunately, such matters are usually left in the hands of HR - often private contractors or consultants and abuse of process is unfortunately rife throughout the world of work.

The outcome for many of those falsely accused, despite the legal victory they've won, will not be positive, as they have suffered irreparable reputational, financial and psychological damage; with at least one documented case of suicide. Last year, it was mooted that the matter would be put before the Director of Public Prosecutions for action to be taken against those responsible. Let's hope this doesn't fall foul of the Covid smokescreen.