Fujitsu is cutting jobs in its UK-based Oracle Practice in an effort to reduce costs and improve competitiveness following its involvement in the Post Office scandal. Around 60 roles, over half of the current team, will be affected, but the company assures that Oracle services for UK customers will not be impacted. A consultation process will take place for affected employees with the possibility of redeployment. Despite the cuts, Fujitsu remains committed to the Oracle services market in the UK.
The decision to cut jobs comes after an earlier announcement in April that approximately 100 sales, pre-sales, and logistics roles would be eliminated due to declining business outlook in the UK. Fujitsu has faced criticism and scrutiny for its role in the Post Office Horizon scandal, where faulty software caused accounting errors leading to numerous subpostmasters being wrongly prosecuted. The company’s European boss has pledged to halt bidding for government contracts until after a public inquiry into the scandal is completed. MPs are demanding that Fujitsu contribute to covering the costs associated with the scandal, which the company has acknowledged a moral obligation to do. Morale within Fujitsu’s UK business is said to be low.