Former put up workplace operators’ chief denies ‘betraying’ his membership

The previous chief of an affiliation representing put up workplace operators has advised a public inquiry that he was “too trusting” of data given by the Post Office about its defective Horizon IT system, however he denied being “too shut” to the state-owned physique and “betraying” his personal membership.

George Thomson, a former basic secretary of the Nationwide Federation of SubPostmasters (NFSP), an association that represents put up workplace operatives, was testifying to a public inquiry that’s inspecting why a whole bunch of operatives had been prosecuted after the Submit Workplace blamed them for monetary shortfalls. It has since emerged that the Submit Workplace’s Horizon IT system was not dependable and contained bugs, errors and defects.

The inquiry heard that, in 2013, the NFSP signed a 15-year take care of the Submit Workplace to signify all put up workplace operatives in return for annual funds of greater than £1m a yr from 2014-15 onwards. Thomson served as basic secretary of the group between 2007 and 2018.

Thomson was requested by Julian Blake, the counsel to the inquiry, whether or not he had been “too shut” to the Submit Workplace and whether or not he lacked sympathy for the convicted operators after criticism that the NFSP, which has now distanced itself from Thomson, had failed to assist a variety of victims of the scandal.

Thomson replied: “No I do not … I’d not say that I used to be near the Submit Workplace.” He stated that in his tenure as basic secretary he had investigated 20 or 30 circumstances on the “highest stage”.

In a collection of testy exchanges, Thomson was accused by legal professionals representing victims of the scandal of taking the “Submit Workplace shilling”.

Sam Stein KC, barrister for a variety of operatives, advised him that his shoppers had been “of the view that you just acquired into the Submit Workplace mattress with [former Post Office chief executive] Paula Vennells and did no matter she wished you to do. Is {that a} truthful description of what was occurring?”

Thomson replied: “It’s nonsense.” He advised the inquiry that he had executed a take care of the Submit Workplace after the organisation misplaced about 8,000 members over a 15-year interval via community restructuring programmes.

“We misplaced that many members … We did the proper factor for the community,” he stated. “After the three restructuring programmes, sure, our organisation principally needed to do a take care of the Submit Workplace or merge into the CWU [Communication Workers Union].”

Stein advised him that the deal included contractually accepting that NFSP shouldn’t do something to criticise or undermine the Submit Workplace, which he stated was in trade for the “Submit Workplace shilling”.

“You primarily betrayed your individual membership didn’t you?” Stein requested him.

“My place on Horizon modified not one jot after a take care of Submit Workplace,” Thomson replied, including that “we weren’t gagged” and the deal had been handed at a particular convention by the membership.

Thomson stated in his witness assertion that the “Horizon system is systemically sturdy and continues to be giving an important service to our shoppers, RMG [Royal Mail Group], authorities and now specifically to the UK’s banks who’re more and more utilizing the PO [Post Office] community”.

He added that solely “a really small variety of customers of the Horizon system during the last 25 years have claimed to have had issues” and stated he had been reassured by the Submit Workplace concerning the IT system and on reflection was in all probability “too trusting”.

The inquiry continues.