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)

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

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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
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

The hat is paramount
Because it will sort the fibs

Like a number of other PPs, I'm on some boards. I can't think of a single one where governance wouldn't mandate attendance (down to who is there for particular sections and not the whole), apologies, and an accurate record of what was discussed and who the discussants were.

This, as has been shown in this ET, continuously

I’m just catching up as I actually had to do real life things this morning.

I read it as JD was accused of being a transphobe not the much referenced staff member, and (partly because he had a transitioning member of staff) he knee jerked into proving he wasn’t a nasty transphobe. That’s why he had to bully Jo, to prove alliance and stop his bully/ies. Which is also why he keeps rabbiting on about getting out of the middle. He doesn’t mean get from between the two, he means impartially wasn’t accepted. He had to be seen to be picking ‘the right side of history’. He has to be seen to condemn anything to do with the GCRN and Jo in order to shed his transphobic image.

Of course that might all be bollocks. I’m prone to flights of fancy.

She is lying about the benefits - having a back door into publishing in a journal is to be encouraged and is vey much a benefit, as is having someone on the REF panels.

So basically this is the crux of the matter. Jo and LW went for the same job, Jo got it - despite being the external candidate. Possibly a massive surprise to LW who thought the job had her name written on it, only to be scuppered by a superior candidate who is happy to have a pay cut.

LW then goes out of her way to make life miserable for Jo.

Yes @chilling19 pretending that these things are of no benefit is an out and out lie

Like the worst kind of bitchy school bully.

Just reading LW's witness statement. She's the one who compared Jo to the racist uncle at the Christmas table!

She, in her own words, summonsed Jo for "just a natter" and ambushed her with the comments she made in the WPUK talk. She doesn't seem to be a very sympathetic manager at all, and her own words seem to back up Jo's versions of events in her statement.

BC: were there minutes of this board meeting.

LM:We had an assist who came to mtgs so I assume notes would be available

BC: were you at mtg

LM: I can't remember being at the full mtg

Jo and LW went for the same job, Jo got it

I'm taken aback that anyone should have thought making LW the line manager for JP was a good idea. I understand the various hierarchies and lack of available senior people in the appropriate field but that always had the potential for disaster.

Re meeting minutes - they would record who were in the meetings would they not?

It may just be me but if I were due to be a witness I would check my diary to see if I'd been at the meetings that were relevant

I have literally never been to a meeting in my life where minutes dont have initials of everyone attended and apologies from those who can't make it.

LM not appearing to be a v effective manager, and that's before her susceptibility to the collective amnesia

LM does go v easily into combative mode

LW - the biggest weasel so far.

LM (c Garside) I have to correct you there as a person who was there

[amazed she could remember she was there]

A stoat then.

Just once I wish one of these people would stand up for what they believe in and take responsibility for their actions. Bullying Jo and then claiming amnesia is cowardice

There's definitely a strong whiff of this for sure, along with the mean girls and boys actions, and the searching out and encouraging of student complaints. What a poisonous shitshow of a workplace.

It must be so hard for Jo to read over these threads, but at the same time she knows that we see it too, and that we care. Not just those of us posting, but so many lurkers willing her on. We see them Jo.

We certainly do see it.

Academics- whose job is supposed to be collating and analysing evidence in all its varying forms- seem surprised that a KC might do the same.

Nasty crowd, not a shred of integrity amongst them.

BC: major factor why HERC wouldn't continue relationship was cos of Garside's views on t prisoners

LM: no it was only the catalyst

Well done Ben - you got there in the end