Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 3

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Started on 2nd October at Watford Employment Tribunal (Radius House, 51 Clarendon Rd, Watford WD17 1HP 01923 281750)

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Email [email protected]

Header should read

URGENT CURRENT CASE - Public Access Request - J Phoenix - The Open University - 3322700/2021

Ask for access link and pin and please give your name and address in the email as they check when you connect to the tribunal.

Abbreviations

JP - Jo Phoenix, Claimant (C)
OU - The Open University, Respondent (R)
J - Regional Employment Judge Young
P - Panel or panel member
BC - Ben Cooper KC, Counsel for C
JM - Jane Mulcahy KC, Counsel for R

OU Departments & Networks:

HWSRA - Health & Wellbeing Strategic Research Area
FASS - Faculty of Arts and Social Sciences
SPC - Dept of Social Policy & Criminology
KMi - Knowledge Media Institute
GCRN - Gender Critical Research Network

OU witnesses

PB - Dr Paraskevi Boukli, Former Senior Lecturer Criminology, Deputy Head SPC 2021-22
IF - Prof Ian Fribbance Dean of FASS
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21
LD - Dr Leigh Downes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology (in SPC), Academic Lead for EDI FASS 2019-21
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
MW - Prof Marcia Wilson, Dean EDI, 2020-23
CM - Caragh Molloy, Group People Director 2019-23
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance

Witness for JP:

SE - Sarah Earle, Professor Modern History Uni of Oxford, Founding member GCRN

Tribunal Tweets - https://twitter.com/tribunaltweets

TT coverage so far https://tribunaltweets.substack.com/p/professor-jo-phoenix-v-the-open-university

Thread 1 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4905118-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-2nd-october-whispers-ben-cooper?page=1

Thread 2
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4913946-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-2?page=1

@AutumnCrow I think he must have, how does he do it?

Maya is in there too. 😀

A good guest list for any party.

Why hadn't she read the Wells letter in advance of today? She doesn't seem to know what is going on

BC, was it not obvious at the time that the wells letter was harassment and discrimination and therefore not covered by FOS?
MW, long pause, no, umm, I don't know...

Does this witness think just saying she doesn't know will get her out of answering? If so then she's in for a shock

Amnesia incoming

😂

Oh, so we are going with some one rather than someones?

Ben <turns over the page and points out threat of boycott and non-collaboration>

Prof - silence, then struggles.

<Ben moves on with his carefully thought out plan>

Has anyone read the open letter?

Prof - trying to do the right thing by both sides

Err - what about checking the policy?

MW, We spent a lot of time reaching out to trans and nb people and GC people. It was trying to do the right thing by both sides.

One starts to wonder whether academics should really be managing. Although thinking back to all the places I've worked and been badly managed, perhaps it doesn't make much difference.

The open letter

wels.open.ac.uk/sites/wels.open.ac.uk/files/files/RSSH%20GCRN%20letter%20240621.pdf

www.google.com/url?sa=t&source=web&rct=j&opi=89978449&url=wels.open.ac.uk/sites/wels.open.ac.uk/files/files/RSSH%2520GCRN%2520letter%2520240621.pdf&ved=2ahUKEwipiPz6nu6BAxVLhFwKHbCgBZoQFnoECAwQAQ&usg=AOvVaw23GOhkiN--kegDqN8NsD7O

Think this is a link to it

Academics are generally terrible managers. They don't get training and are expected to handle all kinds of things (admin, finance, even HR) on top of running their research groups. And most of them resent this extra workload, which lead them to ignoring it until they can't anymore.

This reddit thread is rather interesting to read.

www.reddit.com/r/transgenderUK/comments/o7ak92/open_university_and_the_gender_critical_research/

Thanks for the links @chilling19 and @GCITC

Do as we say or we'll tak oor ba' hame.

Ah another lesson on how to use Twitter - brings back memories of Allison's tribunal. Will we get the phrase 'a Twitter storm'?

Thank you for the link to the letter. At a glance it's like a small child with a loaded paintbrush spinning round in a room and plastering stuff everywhere. The range of references is something else.

MW, yes, ' terf' is a slur and to use it is unprofessional

Correction.

I think this is the open letter

web.archive.org/web/20210618100728/docs.google.com/document/d/1v1rck-opPCcjcKuEER_kaV_EyOvn_zIRfG5it1G6iE0/view

The other letter is the wels letter sent to the view chair

Heavens that’s batshit

the ‘trans community’ is strongly allied to the ‘disabled community’??

In what way??

The open letter