Correspondence with Marc Waters, CEO of HPE UK.

Here is the most recent communications with Marc Waters.

This is a letter sent by Martin Ranwell, of this parish, to Marc Waters on 17th May 2021.

17 th May 2021

RECORDED DELIVERY
Mr Marc Waters
Chief Executive Officer
Hewlett Packard Limited
210 Wharfdale Road, Winnersh Triangle
WINNERSH, Berks RG41 5TP

Dear Mr Waters
THE HEWLETT PACKARD LTD RETIREMENT BENEFITS PLAN –
DISCRETIONARY INCREASES
Your company claims to follow the highest standards of ethical practices and
employee caring.
It was therefore with considerable surprise, disbelief, and anger that I received the
attached undated and unsigned letter from the UK Management team which you
head.
This letter informs pensioners and former employees of Digital Equipment Co Ltd
with pre 1997 service that there will be no increase in pensions for the fourteenth
year in succession.
I have been in business for over 60 years, and this letter is one of the most
insensitive, crass, and arrogant letters that I have ever received. It is unprofessional,
unfair, unfriendly, uncaring, uninformative, unjustified, and totally unacceptable. I and
my colleagues are clearly seen as lacking in power and influence, and are therefore
unimportant, unworthy and undeserving in your eyes.

2.

I believe that I am completely within my rights in requesting that you answer the
following questions fully and truthfully in line with the ethical values to which your
company lays claim:

1. What criteria were examined by the management team in arriving at the
   conclusion that an increase in pensions should not be paid this year, and what
   were the reasons for rejecting the increase requested by the trustees ?
2. What financial and other circumstances would need to exist before an
   increase in pensions was deemed to be appropriate ?
3. How can a company that awards regular profit-sharing bonuses and stock
   options to its senior executives, and dividends to its shareholders, not afford
   to pay a cost of living increase to its pensioners, the cost of which is a fraction
   of the cost of the executive and shareholder rewards ?
4. Is the company in financial difficulty ?
   A full and prompt response to each of these points is requested and expected.
   Please do not try to “fob me off” with platitudes.
   Thank you.
   Your sincerely

MARTIN RANWELL

PS. The result of your covert policy of non payment of increases to our group of
pensioners is that I need to be still working at the age of 82 ! Your board of directors
have pursued a policy of discrimination, and have cynically destroyed the retirement
for myself and 4,000 other pensioners in the UK.

Here is Marc Water’s response:

And here is Martin’s response to Water’s typically off-hand response:

14 th June 2021

RECORDED DELIVERY
Mr Marc Waters
Hewlett Packard Ltd
210 Wharfedale Road,
Winnersh Triangle
Berkshire RG41 5TP

Dear Mr Waters
ANOTHER YEAR WITHOUT A COST OF LIVING INCREASE FOR PENSIONERS WITH
PRE 1997 SERVICE
I acknowledge receipt of your letter dated 3rd June, and can only express my disappointment
and concern that you are apparently unable, or unwilling, to answer the very reasonable
questions which I put to you regarding my pension and the company’s future intentions in
this regard.
I can only conclude that :

1. No proper review of the financial position of either the company or the pensioners
   was carried out before deciding that an increase was not to be paid for the 14 th year
   in succession.
2. There are no circumstances under which the company is proposing to increase
   pensions for those with pre 1997 service, who are unprotected by UK pension laws.
3. The savings created by not paying any increases to pensions to those with pre 1997
   service are indeed being used to benefit the company’s senior executive and
   shareholders.
4. The company is in financial difficulty, and is unable to afford to maintain the
   standard of living of vulnerable pensioners.
5. The company is completely disingenuous in claiming to be a leader in the setting and
   practicing of high ethical standards of behaviour in its business and employee
   relations, and is prepared to abandon these standards when it pays to do so, and can
   be achieved without attracting adverse publicity.
   If these conclusions are an incorrect interpretation of your response and the company’s
   position, please correct the misunderstandings, and advise the correct position on each of
   my questions in an open and honest way.
   I think that you may not fully appreciate the increasing financial difficulties and considerable
   worries faced by myself and the group of pensioners of which I am part. I and many of my
   colleagues are facing real hardship in the last few years of our lives – as a direct result of
   HPE’s policy. We are clearly being discriminated against by the company, solely because we
   have no protection under UK law. This is a totally unacceptable behaviour from a company
   of your size, reputation and claimed ethical values. It is deplored and increasingly resented
   by all those who are suffering at the hands of the company.
   I and my colleagues ask for one thing only – to be treated fairly. Is that too much to ask ?

Yours sincerely

M E RANWELL