Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 6

[ickky]

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

You may attend in person or remote viewing has been quite limited but you can request log in details from

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.

The clerk will ask you (in a private remote room) to put your camera on to verify, this involves looking at you, but no ID is needed. You may turn off your camera after this pointless and unnecessary process.

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
PK - Peter Keogh, Professor Health & Society, Member RSSH
CW - Dr Christopher Williams, Senior Lecturer History
KS - Kevin Shakesheff. PVC for Research and Innovation
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
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 - twitter.com/tribunaltweets

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

Prof Jo Phoenix Witness Statement (scroll to bottom of page and download)

jophoenix.substack.com/p/phoenix-v-open-university?sd=pf

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

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

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

Thread 4 www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4918479-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-4

Thread 5 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4919223-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-5

I'm confused - was he saying he didn't want his dept/colleague to be bashed by TRA OU people for them having anything to do with GCRN? He defensively discriminated to avoid TRA abuse?

BC: simple q. You were only doing that in respect of GCRN

JD: cos of controversy

BC: not your reasons. Your actions. Only moving the GCRN

Oh God, that so deserves a Ben Special of and how's that working out for you.

BC - homing in with laser intensity

"Not in Pride Month!" for the bingo card

BC: reads - KMI don't condone use and support of that sig, esp in pride month, t and nb people's needs across the globe = paramount

Thanks all for your reporting, I'm glued to the screen here.

Christ, does this totally up himself bloke understand that he's admitting to being discriminatory, on the basis that it was easier than not?!

Witness - more waffle proving Ben's point

He's arguing, it isn't discrimination because we'd have acted against any group there had been complaints about?!

BC: please focus on my point

JD: GCRN was a public website seen to be part of KMI. We're getting complaints but only c GCRN.

BC: you agreed you mustn't treat GCRN less favourably cos of those kind of view

B: you issue public statement cos of these complaints. Expressing disapproval of GCRN views

BC - so here's your public statement saying you don't agree with the GCRN do you agree it's is discriminatory?

JD - no

JD: Don't forget my own member of staff who I was v worried about

JD: needed to show members of staff that we cared about them

@Datun, they are so far up their own backside these people, I don't think they know what they are saying to the real world out here. When you get a chance, look at his OU bio upthread. ME ME ME.

For the love of God!! 🤣🤣🤣

I'm just trying to catch up on the threads but two things have jumped out at me -

No one from the OU seems to remember what they wrote in their own witness statement.

BC is as fab as before. I absolutely sniggered at the following exchange -
'CW: I can't remember the brief of the witness statement. Can you remind me?
BC: No'.

Don't forget he has worked with the creator of the internet and he made life better for his team - so his discrimination is ok then

[He is a v impt computer scientist without whom the internet as we know it today would not be the same.]

BC - let's the witness waffle and dissemble, then takes him to bundle x, page xx to nail him

Only the super speshal members of staff, of course.

No one cared about Jo Phoenix's feelings did they, a woman who had suffered multiple traumatic events in early life and had PTSD.

Bloody hell.

JD: Don't forget my own member of staff who I was v worried about

• *So I was able to make changes to entire Dept policy for one employee.

No @Ereshkigalangcleg but Jo is a woman and not a special woman so her emotions and mental well being don't matter