Fujitsu staff at HMRC to strike next week in shadow of Post Office Horizon scandal

Fujitsu staff contracted to HMRC are set to strike next week, amid building pressure on the IT firm which supplied the faulty Horizon software at the heart of the Post Office scandal.

UK workers at the Japanese tech firm are taking industrial action after being offered a pay rise of three to four per cent, while colleagues in Japan were promised up to 29 per cent.

Earlier this week it emerged that accounts with Companies House revealed Fujitsu Services Ltd, in the UK, posted pre-tax profits of £22m in 2022, and achieved £1.3bn in revenues.

It comes during the tax self-assessment payment window, with business owners and the self-employed staring down a January 31 deadline to pay any tax owed from the last year.

Disruption is expected to hit those hoping to make payments, workers have said. Those involved in the strike are unconnected to the Horizon scandal, the union has said.

While Fujitsu is also facing increased pressure over its role in the Post Office crisis, which saw hundreds of innocent sub-postmasters wrongfully convicted after the software made it look like money had been stolen from tills.

Justice secretary Alex Chalk suggested to ITV’s Robert Peston that if found culpable, Fujitsu should repay the “fortune” spent on the scandal by the government – and taxpayers.

While the government will wait for the ongoing inquiry, which began in 2021, to conclude before taking any decisions, Chalk said he would “want to secure proper recompense”.

He added: “It’s absolutely right that there should be justice across the piece, yes for the subpostmasters… but frankly also for the taxpayer. This has cost and will cost a fortune.”

More than 300 Fujitsu workers, who are members of the Public and Commercial Services (PCS) union will walk out on January 17, with picket lines expected on Whitehall.

Staff are mostly contracted to HMRC, and some in vital roles fixing IT and protecting critical high end user systems will also take additional action from January 18 until February 15. 

PCS general secretary Mark Serwotka said: “Why is the UK government giving Fujitsu lucrative contracts when the company treats its UK workers so badly?

“Fujitsu made £22m profit last year in the UK, so it can afford to pay our members a decent wage – it just chooses not to.”

In an email seen by City A.M., workers were asked to refuse overtime – or work to rule – after the January 17 strike, “for a few vital days, as we approach HMRC’s self-assessment peak”.

The firm could then face major penalties for failing to deliver contracted services, described as “a major concern to management, as the penalties to Fujitsu could be huge”.

A spokesperson for Fujitsu said the firm was “aware of the planned action” which they said “follows a number of pay discussions and offers made to the PCS members”.  

They added: “We remain committed to continue pay talks to try to resolve this situation and welcome further discussions at any time.

“Fujitsu will be taking all necessary steps to ensure operational continuity for all our customers and are working closely with those customers throughout the planning process.”

 HMRC has been connected for comment.