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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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
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

She is lying. There is no policy that allows for sickness check ins to not be recorded. She should face a disciplinary for that. For this very reason.

DD mentioned it between different subjects. Someone made a joke - JP her self laughed. That's my recollection and it's not in the minutes
BC That didnt happen
DD That's my recollection

'That's my recollection'. Lol.

Funny that she can't remember much of anything, even things that are actually there, written in black and white, written BY HER, but can remember very clearly things that weren't 🤔

BC: you don't think mtg on this date was part of a formal absence management

DD: I might have wanted to check in on JP health whether formal planned mtg or not. And she had been off 77 days that year so would have been on a plan

my bold

DD- I can imagine I would have wanted to check in on her.

Such interesting use of tenses there.

Fuck. This witness simply cannot see their lack of symmetry in their relationship with Jo?

They must be all licking lead paint for this degree of memory loss amongst colleagues.

Why would she want to check in on someone who she couldn't stand and then not record notes. 🤔

She can. That's why she's lying like her life depends on it.

You would be damned sure to make notes wouldn't you? Just in case....

musing. I wonder if somewhere on the www there is a similar set of threads to these but with TRAs following along. It would be interesting to see their view on how the witnesses are doing.

What is this?

Instead of me calling her, Jo might have called me, because maybe she was on sick leave.

And Ben says but if she was on sick leave that would've been recorded.

And DD says no, sick leave isn't always recorded????

It's easy to imagine things, as we all know.

In a universe far, far away...

Perhaps the source of the email to DD?

Dear DD you are being compared to Darth Vader online.
In solidarity
A Stormtrooper
ps can I have a new phone? Mine fell in the Cordaxian Sea.

DD: in 2019 just a few flare ups in relation to letter and conf. People were handwringing c how can we show support to both parties, or sides if you will

BC: so when you talked c atmosphere then as being so difficult - now you say it wasn't anything much

DD The vast majority were not hostile to the claimant.

So there were some members that were hostile.

Curious tenses and use of passive voice predominates in the OU from what I've seen here.

Lark - yes, yes I would. And indeed did throughout my working life. Part of my role was managing someone, and I always said 'imagine a serious case review', or a daily mail headline (or now an employment tribunal).

MAKE NOTES/MINUTES. Confirm these with meeting members. Be transparent and factual.

DD: in 2019 just a few flare ups in relation to letter and conf. People were handwringing c how can we show support to both parties, or sides if you will

yeah, that's gotta be tricky, when you only agree with one side.

Err, is this not part of being a good manager? <sarcasm>

Indeed.

E-mail immediately following meeting. Following up on our meeting on (date) where we discussed X and agreed Y and Z. etc.

Every.

Single.

Time.

Not only states your point of view but allows other person to disagree if their "recollections vary".

Same here. Also everything written was with an eye on being read by "a wider audience". As in watch your own back. I also had a day book. Everything went in it. I worked with some horrible people. Glad to be out of it.

In fact, I think Jo will win this based on the shit management, not following policies and procedures, notwithstanding the subject matter.

It certainly is all adding weight to constructive dismissal @chilling19

So no one would work with Jo.