Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 4

[ickky]

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.

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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
MW - Prof Marcia Wilson, Dean EDI, 2020-23
CM - Caragh Molloy, Group People Director 2019-23
LD - Dr Leigh Downes, Senior Lecturer in Criminology (in SPC), Academic Lead for EDI FASS 2019-21
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
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

Thread 3 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4917480-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-3

Do we get more LD tomorrow?

Yes, starting at 10am (allegedly)

I’ve not been able to keep up with this one after the first couple of days. I don’t suppose anyone could offer a brief summary of how it’s going could they?

Signing in <chirp>

Many thanks for the new thread ickky and the TT links.

Thank you @ickky!

Thanks Ickky for the new thread, and all for the commentary.

Yes, thank you.

Yes, thank you @ickky (very remiss of me, too busy making the new nest comfortable).

Thank you x

Very briefly. It seems to be going well for Jo Phoenix as so far all the OU witnesses have shown their bias and how they treated her differently to the GI peeps. Shown little to no concern for her wellbeing.

But then, I am biased too. 😁

You can read the Tribunal Tweets thread to get a clearer view of proceedings.

No need for thanks 😁

Oh yes.
BC estimated he'd need 3 hours for LD. He used about 2 today. I'm not sure if his new policy of letting the witness's batshit speak for itself rather than trying to extract an answer to the question means it'll take longer or not.

It's all gone tits up for OU @GreyDress . Their witnesses are either gone rogue, admitted to never reading the grievance or peaking people so hard the oxygen is thin.

Thank you for the new thread @ickky

I was away for the first few days (this is the first thread I have posted on, been lurking on the last two). I missed JP's evidence and cross-examination. What's the general feeling on how they went? I'm trying to catch up with TT between other tasks.

@GreyDress to add to ickky's post, the OU witnesses that form part of OU management have shown they outsourced their thinking and management decisions to others (3rd parties, more junior staff) and to many of us prove Jo's point that they breached their duty of care to her. The OU witnesses that were her colleagues have shown that they are so deeply entrenched in GI ideology that they are unable to think outside their own bubble and to many of us prove Jo's point about bullying and shunning.

I know you said no need for thanks but thanks anyway @ickky - stellar thread management.

@Fink JP's evidence and cross-examination was gruelling and upsetting, and that was just for us observers. The OU counsel appeared to take the strategy to attempt to show that Jo was unreasonable, unstable and emotional. Many of us interpret that to mean that they don't actually have a defence based on facts.

@ickky as always many thanks for the new thread.
3 hours for LD tomorrow, may I open the book that that alone will fill this thread. Unless we go all sullen and just answer No Comment.

Thank you. Poor JP, the whole thing must be awful for her.

I hope she's taking some comfort in the shitshow that the witnesses for OU have produced. Although I'm sure it's little enough comfort to know/have publicly confirmed quite how incomptent and incapable of actual thought your former colleagues are.

It really does seem that incompetence and incapacity is identified as ok in the name of the One True Faith.

Thanks for the new thread ickky. BenCooperssupportwren excellent work on the song.

I'm sure they self-identify as competent and capable. Just like I identify as someone who has done some meaningful studying over the past two days and not spent them reading these threads ...

It's like someone at the OU said: "Hey, we have all this good will we've built up over many years as a truly democratic institution that improves the lives of lots of people. How can we squander that in the shortest time possible?"