Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 7

[ickky]

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

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[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
NatS - Natalie Starkey, Outreach & Public Engagement Officer Sch Physical Sciences, 2019-22
HBC - Helen Bowes-Catton, Lecturer Social Research Methods
JD - John Domingue, Prof of Computing Science, Director KMi, 2015-22
LW - Louise Westmarland, Prof of Criminology, Co-Deputy Head SPC, 2018-21, Current Head SPC
RH - Richard Holliman, Prof Engaged Research, Head School Environment, Earth & Ecosystem Sciences, 2019-22. Member of Investigation Panel investigating the C’s grievance
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21😇
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language
CT - Cath Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager

Witness for JP:

SE - Professor Sarah Earle, Head of the HWSRA

Tribunal Tweets - https://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)

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

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

Thread 4 https://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

Thread 6 https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4921308-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-6

I haven't had time to follow the tribunal in real time. I've been ploughing through Tribunal Tweets retrospectively in odd minutes, and I see people referring to Jo's witness statement. Is that available anywhere?

On her OU page her name is highlighted and you can send an email.

It’s easy to find work email addresses - most universities have publicly available staff directories.

What was the email about? I held my breath there, worried it was going to be someone with a similar name to mine and, after finally gaining admission, I’d get banned!

Trying to stop TT would be ridiculous. Someone could equally well be sitting in the gallery to listen. The point is whoever is using the evidence of the court proceedings today to harass a witness needs dealing with.

Surely all JM meant was ‘it needn’t have been a direct observer’

probably didn’t want to add ‘in addition to those present physically and virtually, we know hundreds are keeping up with this indirectly in real time as there is such a lot of interest in the case’. Because I sense the main observers are ‘reality’ rather then ‘ideology’ believers.

Or someone might want everyone watching online to be kicked out <cynical>

DD has had her lunch but it isn't helping her memory.

BC: That is another rewriting of history. Look at this email...

DD: Well I guess if that's what I said in my email then that's what happened

@Ereshkigalangcleg . Yes , sorry caught up with thread now. Also, I got my formers and letters mixed. Trans want published until July 2021. I still need a timeline!

Why is DD looking at her email while in purdah? Is that allowed?

I was going to say exactly the same. Anything to throw shade on the GCs.

It could even be staged with her knowledge if she is finding the questioning difficult (and how could she not be). You know, that friend that you arrange to ring you so you can get out of a blind date if you need to. 😶

That's a good point.

DD can do anything @ickky , she's God.

Big G.

BC: Something had happened the previous day to prompt you to unburden yourself to DDownes. You and all your colleagues would have this tribunal believe that the dept mtg was all normal. But there was s significant reaction to JP in the mtg.

DD: No there wasn't

BC: Yes there was cos of this...

DD: Okay

Yes, it would have been the natural thing to do (to support a colleague who had been cancelled).

BC - something had happened the previous day causing you to unburden yourself to LD
DD- umm, I don't know....
BC - you knew about the Essex cancellation, it was in the Times
DD - yes
BC - as HoD wouldn't it be the natural thing to do in the meeting to express sympathy, wouldn't you have done that if it had been LD who'd been cancelled?

Come ONNN, see the bias!!

'That was not captured in the minutes'. 🤨

There would have been a 2 minute silence if it had been that silly mare that was cancelled.

Sure, Jan.

I sense a trap is about to shut

BC: I've given you several opportunities now to give us a reasonable explanation as to what you had to unburden yourself to DDownes about. Can you give us anything more convincing than you have so far?

She's very foolish.

KS is definitely a 'boss level' Terf! 😂

BC: your call to JP wasn't a routine welfare call

DD: might have been. Can't recall. She had a high level of sick leave - Bradford score - so might have been JP instigating on that basis.

BC: She wasn't on sick leave. There would be a record if there was a mtg for that purpose.

DD: Sometimes a record. This is where duty of care comes in. I only recorded the official/formal calls, not a routine call.