Male period poverty tsar cleared to take legal action v 4 public bodies

[Imnobody4]

This will be interesting, I don’t think they have a leg to stand on.

https://www.thetimes.co.uk/article/db1fa9cc-3abe-11ee-b7c0-8b22dcb64950?shareToken=1263a7db1020571e92b5f42a2924dc81

Jason Grant, a former personal trainer, was hired as period dignity officer for the Tayside region in August last year. The post was meant to involve discussing sanitary products in schools and colleges with students.

However the £35,000-a-year role was abolished weeks later after claims that “threats and abuse” had been levelled towards individuals involved in the project.

@Hoardasurass It's quite frankly insulting that he was employed. Did they really not have a single woman fit for the job???

@EarthSight if my memory is correct several foi requests were put in asking how many people applied, how many women, how many had medical training and experience in female reproductive medicine/research etc all requests were rejected because they would out the applicants due to the small number.
There was allegedly something hinky about the advert placement and his relationship with the head of the hiring board aswell.
There's so many questions about this that needs answering that I welcome the sunlight of this crt case

Sorry to disappoint everyone but it seems like he's settled the claim out of crt.
I was looking forward to attending this trial in person and getting some answers.
https://x.com/tribunaltweets/status/1716410295998906719?s=20

Not surprised they all decided to settle out of court as there were all sorts of murky issues / allegations revealed about them in press coverage.

Oh, too bad. I was really looking forward to him being grilled about why he accepted a job he knew he was completely unqualified for.

Boo. What spoil sports. I suppose now we'll never know.

Might this be a case where FOI requests might reveal some information?

Yes, I'd say so, but considering that they've already denied one request, won't it have to be referred to the information commissioner? The whole case has been a travesty from start to finish.

The other (unsuccessful) candidates could submit subject access requests under DPA for all their individual data, notably the materials created to manage and reject their individual applications.

That might be illuminating. There are always notes, emails, phone records. I had a good result once with a banking institution doing this.

DPA requests could run alongside any further FOI requests and appeals. A settlement though will be regarded as ‘business confidential’, I would expect - although at the back of my mind I’m remembering cases where the local authorities ended up revealing the sums paid in settlements, possibly inadvertently, because it’s public money and must show up in public accounts. Don’t know if anyone else can recall?

<Needs coffee>

(P.s. @SinnerBoy, every time I see your name now I think of the Good Ship Cheese Mountain. But mustn’t derail.)

Cheese lollipop...

I'm so disappointed to hear that. I was really looking forward to hearing all the rubbish come out in public. Damn.

Damn that is such a shame. I was waiting for all the dirty details to come out, including why a man went for the job. All those details are probably why they've settled ooc.
Hope we find out how much for.

Because local government in Scotland is spectacularly incompetent.

I wonder if he got 4 payouts to shut him up?

This sounds like a real possibility. Otherwise, why? At school age I would have been mortified if a man talked to me about periods — I would rather have been jailed. But a woman could have been really helpful.

Well he had a fair case, the whole thing was appallingly handled and he was entitled to that outcome. But yes, very sorry that this did not get heard in a court room, all the dirt swept under the rug in Scotland is forming whole new mountain ranges.

It was always going to be settled out of court tbh. I don't suppose he would have relished giving details of his friendship with the woman who keeps giving him jobs either.

Perhaps @Hoardasurass , being in the area, can find out if the people who hired him are still in post and keep an eye out for his future employment. He had a previous position in student welfare (or similar) didn't he?

Anyone know what the likely payout would be? A year's salary? Extra bonus for hurry feels?

I think this is exactly it. Not to queer periods exactly, but definitely as part of a 'look how very inclusive and forward-thinking Dundee is' agenda.

My 13 year old is off to school today, having woken up with her period. I helped her out, but what about a girl with no support? Is she going to be able to ask a man for help with sanitary towels etc?

Of fucking course not. It makes me so angry, still.

The guy was entitled to apply for the job of course, but what in the FUCK were these women thinking making him a shoe-in for it. Absolute lack of empathy for their daughters and their younger selves, in the name of progression.

Wondering the same. I hope we can find out, after all its public money being spent here.
Also does his "friend" still have a job.

GDPR means we should not know the details of the settlement including the ex gracia payment. At the end of the day he has as much right to privacy as we do.

Similarly we shouldn’t know what happens to the people involved who cooked it up and then spectacularly cocked it up.

The likely outcome is that there are now clearer boundaries on what each organisation is responsible for. Those dragged in inadvertently when it became public will make sure they are either given final approval or are completely separate. For other employers it is a salutary warning about how careful you need to be where a job has a genuine occupational requirement be it sex, race etc.

@FannyCann I will certainly keep an eye on any further developments, however those involved disappeared from public and seem to still be keeping their heads down.

www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/4791680/period-dignity-jason-grant-settlement/

The Courier was publishing some good articles around this and doing some good investigations. This one deserves another airing

https://www.thecourier.co.uk/fp/news/dundee/3715939/period-dignity-dundee-recruitment-dundee-angus-college/

The Courier was appealing some of the refusals to the Scottish information office. I don't know if that's ongoing or if the refusal was upheld.

It was inevitable they'd settle. The guy had a case and I think there is stuff the other interested parties don't want to come out.

I expect Jason Grant might be asked for interviews, I doubt we've heard the last of him. Perhaps a career as a micro celebrity beckons?