Threat to finance staff at Consignia

Threat to finance staff at Consignia

Hundreds of finance staff at Consignia, formerly known as the Post Office, could find their roles hit by its plans to outsource core services in a bid to stave off growing competition from the private sector.

The organisation confirmed this week that accounting was among the parts of its business it was considering hiving off to an outside business.

A spokeswoman could not confirm how many finance staff it employed, but said its transaction services department which employs 2,000 staff was one of the areas being looked at. She could not put a figure on how many accountants it included. Consignia’s finance chief is Marisa Cassoni, while Ernst & Young acts as auditor.

Other core services at Consignia under consideration for outsourcing include consulting, legal and human resources.

The spokeswoman said it will not sell to the highest bidder but is looking for ‘the best commercial fit… and finding partners will give benefits of providing staff with better career opportunities’.

But Consignia’s attempts to placate staff have had little effect.

Postal workers this week threatened an all-out strike across the UK if any part of Consignia is contracted out or sold off. Last week’s unofficial walkouts by postal workers caused severe delays in deliveries that are still affecting parts of Britain.

Siemens has emerged as the frontrunner to take over the sorting and delivery services following a review by Big Five firm KPMG which began last September and is due to end in August.

KPMG declined to comment due to client confidentiality.

Links

Backlash grows against outsourcing

Share

Subscribe to get your daily business insights

Resources & Whitepapers

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata
Professional Services

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folders and Embrace Metadata

3y

Why Professional Services Firms Should Ditch Folde...

In the past decade, the professional services industry has transformed significantly. Digital disruptions, increased competition, and changing market ...

View resource
2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professional Services Firms

3y

2 Vital keys to Remaining Competitive for Professi...

In recent months, professional services firms are facing more pressure than ever to deliver value to clients. Often, clients look at the firms own inf...

View resource
Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine
Accounting Firms

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

3y

Turn Accounts Payable into a value-engine

In a world of instant results and automated workloads, the potential for AP to drive insights and transform results is enormous. But, if you’re still ...

View resource
Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021
Making Tax Digital

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

3y

Digital Links: A guide to MTD in 2021

The first phase of Making Tax Digital (MTD) saw the requirement for the digital submission of the VAT Return using compliant software. That’s now behi...

View resource