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’ve been WFTCHTA for nearly an hour. Are they many in the waiting room with me?

It says 6 waiting in the lobby, Posh.

Lots of LM quibbling. Talks c 'our debate' she is having with BC - lots of OU staff think they are here for a discussion.

For people who think prisons should be abolished, it doesn't seem to take a lot for them to feel unsafe.

@PoshCoffee Justin the clerk has the hump today and has stated he won't let anyone in during as it is disruptive (it isn't) to the other people watching. Also if you leave without a note from your mum a very good reason, he will not let you back in. simple as that!

(muttered: not that it's relevant)

How dim are these people?! I thought they'd been watching from the gallery, so they've seen him in action. If Ben Cooper's asks you something, it's relevant. If you can't (yet) see how you should probably worry.

WPUK speech - BC = you knew it would be upsetting because the group of staff thought Jo was transphobic (paraphrased).

Just how safe would they feel if they let all the violent prisoners out?

Justin, another person with A Very Important Job and a brief opportunity for Fame.

Thank @ickky I've been working this morning so this is the first opportunity I’ve had to log on.
Justin needs to wind his neck in

LM not wanting to watch JPs WPUK video 'cos I thought it would be another upsetting' thing. People in dept and in corridor were asking me if I'd seen video. I thought there'd be something worrying/difficult in it.

LM: I have a lot of sympathy for some of JPs GC views. I try to keep the dept running along nicely and friendly Don't want something divisive / difficult to deal with. I hadn't a clue what WPUK was until I watched it.

BC: Are you telling me you said 'I can't bear to watch it' without actually knowing what the video was about

I can't help but feel they'd climb down from that position fairly fast once it started affecting their neighbourhood.

I can't help but feel they'd climb down from that position fairly fast once it started affecting their neighbourhood.

This.

How DARE LW say she/they/ whatever pronouns say they were trying to keep the department 'friendly' it was anything but for JP.

LW seems quite dismissive to me, while also quite chummy with LD, DD, AB etc.

BC: email LM/DDownes. - DD writes 'further inaccuracies' and is forwarding a chain to you

LM: don't know what DD meant. Did I get that email?

LM: didn't get that email

BC: Yes. You. Did.

LM: can't remember

So this witness is unable to find the email in the bundle? Or just has more amnesia

Just how safe would they feel if they let all the violent prisoners out?

In real life we're about to find out because of the prisons' crisis, aren't we? Early release for some prisoners, no actual sentencing of people who've been convicted.

Just how useful would that CCJS conference have been right now? What with its emphasis on non-carceral approaches to CJ. I had actually booked leave to attend the conference. It's nothing to do with my actual occupation but I wanted to know more because I had always known that this is something that I don't understand but sensible people like Garside do and it's something that it's my duty as a citizen to understand because the present system neither works nor is affordable/sustainable.

BC: you were looking at policy. Were you trying to find something to discipline JP with?

LM: No, just looking.

Catching up in my lunchbreak.

Bloody hell at all these people who can't recall owt.

Thanks for the updates you lovely wims, much appreciated.

Thanks all you lovely lot. Another one reading along.

Has anyone alerted the fire brigade yet? I fear they may need to be on standby in Watford.

Ben going in for the kill

I'm just looking
I'm not buying ( any of your bullshit)

BC: what do you say was inaccurate

LM: well, I thought we'd get on to that in a minute

BC: but that's why I took you to it. JP didn't say anything inaccurate in the WPUK c conf being cancelled

LM: it wasn't all inaccurate

BC: Eh?

LM cos she didn't mention the context and that is my quibble