Jo Phoenix vs The OU Employment Tribunal 2nd October (whispers Ben Cooper)

[ickky]

Employment Tribunal starts next Monday, not sure if it is available for remote viewing.

I have sent a request so we will see.

I hope it is available. (Nothing to do with wanting to watch BC in action, especially after the snooze fest of the Grrr Bill appeal thingy in front of judge Haldene the other day. Honest)

Thanks, @ickky

I've just lifted this statement from her gardening page, which indicates that the OU is still calling 18 witnesses, fgs. Fortunately, Jo has raised £199,300 to fund her excellent legal team.

Next Monday morning - 2nd October - it starts.

The hearing is in Watford Employment Tribunal, Radius House, 51 Clarendon Road, Watford.

On October 2nd, 2023, my legal team and I will meet the OU's legal team and the judge and panel members assigned to our case. Just a reminder: employment tribunals are comprised of Employment Judge who is usually accompanied by two lay panel members. The judge is an independent member of the judiciary (i.e. they are solicitors, barristers, or legal executives) and panel members are lay individuals who come with experiences from the point of view of employers and of employees.

The first day of the tribunal hearing will be when the schedule of evidence giving is decided. Everyone is likely to be dismissed early that day so that the panel can undertake the required reading of witness statements etc.

At this stage, I do not know whether evidence-giving starts on 3rd October and who starts first. I do know that I will be giving evidence. I have one witness that I am calling. The OU is calling 18 witnesses.

The court is an open court - meaning there is a public gallery and members of the public are allowed to watch.

The case is scheduled to go until October 20th.

I'll post another update on Sunday which will remind everyone of what the case is about.

Thank you for all your support.
Jo

@ickky thank you for setting up this thread. I have just had the latest update and was hoping we might be able to watch remotely.

I am looking forward to Ben taking the 18 witnesses through their statements and exposing how little rational thought they as academics have actually given to their positions.

Who on earth are those 18 witnesses going to be? What kind of evidence could they offer? The mind absolutely boggles.

I'm rather hoping the 18 witness statements will be part of the OU's downfall here - too much scope for both (a) contradictions, and (b) evidence of collusion. It's a very risky tactic.

I think as the hearing date approaches, there may be a hasty re-appraisal by the OU of its plan to call so many witnesses. I hope the Tribunal Chair doesn't let the OU piss about with delaying shenanigans over this.

Here are the email request details

[email protected]

Put this in the subject line

Public Access Request - J Phoenix - The Open University - 3322700/2021 - 2nd October 2023 - Watford - 10am

Then ask for access link and pin.

I am not sure if it will be available remotely, but if not hopefully Tribunal Tweets can send someone to observe and report.

Operation Let Them Speak - should be a good one. The crowdfunder is still open if you want to help her get to the £200k mark.

That's reminded me to help with a carrot for Tribunal Tweets. They do such sterling work as volunteers. Very much hoping they can get to Watford for at least a few of the key days.

Another adding thanks for this thread @ickky. I've requested access if it's available, I studied with the OU a few years ago and am appalled by how captured it has become since then. I had free and frank discussions with tutors about the under-representation of women in the courses I studied en route to a history degree, can't imagine similar debate would be tolerated now.

Does anyone know if you want to go in person, can you just turn up?

Oh, hadn't realised this was a Ben Cooper one. Excellent.

<clears diary>

Sounds like it, @dimorphism - from Jo's page:

The court is an open court - meaning there is a public gallery and members of the public are allowed to watch.

I'd double-check, though, before making a trek.

Thank you for information. I shall follow proceedings here.

18 witnesses sounds crazy. I've done cases worth hundreds of millions involving huge corporations and governments with fewer witnesses. I wonder what on earth they are all going to say?

Has anyone started a book on number of witnesses' mums, invisible lawyers, and emotional support goldfish?

Oooh, that's interesting.

It was suggested on a previous thread that the 18 witnesses being listed could perhaps be a cynical strategy by the OU to try to out-spend Jo P, by extending the days needed for the tribunal hearing thus dramatically increasing both sides' costs. Peanuts perhaps for the OU, but not for an ordinary jo. Don't know if that sounds credible?

But remarkably Jo P has raised just shy of £200,000, so can proceed with an excellent legal team. Ben Cooper really knows his stuff.

Have we had any TRSOH drive-by scoldings about silly wims spending all this money on being phobic, when we could have bought some frilly nighties and lipstick?

Jo's at £199, 735.

Or is it 3 witnesses each with a support person and support dog?

I agree 18 witnesses needs 🍿🍿

Like you and pp I think they may rethink the number once questioning gets underway.

I’ve emailed Watford for log in details if the hearing is on-line.

£200,035 👏

I've my final surgery on that date so I'm going to rely on you all to give me all the details, support dog descriptions, birdsong and bundle errors.

Hoping it is made available online. I doubt we’ll get support animals (unless Ben’s wren appears) but I would really like to hear more about the mindset that exists in academia these days. Hopefully 18 witnesses will give ample opportunity to do so.

Also interested to see how the academic mindset/personalities react when giving evidence. On the face of it, I would have thought an academic would relish the ability to do a bit of back-and-forth. But then remembering how some of Alison Baileys colleagues behaved it could get quite, er, spicy. Never get a barrister to give evidence was my takeaway from that one.

Are the OU trying to stretch out the time and Jo's finances?

It could end up as a cast of thousands, I'm not betting. 😂