Postmasters `told to stick to official line' on closures

Postmasters have been warned they face losing compensation packages if they stray from the official line on closures, it was revealed today.

Anonymous Post Office representatives are to travel around the country to ensure that “key messages” about the plans to close 2,500 branches are being given to customers in an “accurate and professional manner”, according to a letter to postmasters obtained by the Conservatives.

The letter, from Sue Huggins, director of the Network Change Programme, goes on to warn that postmasters whose branches are chosen for closure, risk losing compensation packages if they do not comply.

It states: “Subject to state aid clearance, any compensation offered to you if your branch is selected for closure shall be subject to you having complied, and continuing to comply, with this obligation up to the date of closure.”

Ms Huggins makes it clear that it is preferable that the details of the programme are kept confidential.

But the letter adds: “We do appreciate that customers may ask questions that you might find difficult to answer.”

With that in mind, Ms Huggins also encloses a “key message/FAQ document” for staff to use when answering questions from the public.

George Thomson, general secretary of the National Federation of SubPostmasters said: “The Federation accepts that this was an error of judgment by Post Office Limited and we are confident that Post Office Limited will apologise to SubPostmasters in due course.”

Shadow Business, Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Secretary, Alan Duncan, said: “It is shameful that the Government which is closing thousands of Post Offices should blackmail hard working SubPostmasters into parroting the political spin of Gordon Brown to customers.

“It is not appropriate in a free country for a national employer like the Post Office to use the tactics of the secret police to demand Maoist conformity to their line.

“Explaining their view is one thing, but to go around spying on their branches and employees is quite sick, and will only make things worse.”

A Post Office spokesman apologised and said the letter had been wrongly sent out.

He said: “The letter should not have been sent out, it contained factual inaccuracies. We apologise for this and will be writing to SubPostmasters next week confirming that.

“We would like to make it clear that we will not be doing anonymous testing, that’s not going to happen – it was never going to happen.

“It is a priority for us to make sure customers are aware of what’s going on, and that they know how they can participate in the consultation process.”

In May, the Government announced controversial plans to close 2,500 post offices, to stem huge losses and modernise the network.

Alistair Darling, then Trade and Industry Secretary, told MPs that the current size of the network could not be maintained after revealing that losses had grown to GBP 4 million a week.

At the same time, a GBP 1.7 billion package, including an annual subsidy of GBP 150 million, was unveiled to prevent further closures and help the Royal Mail attract new business.