Prof Jo Phoenix vs The OU - Employment Tribunal Thread 8

[ickky]

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

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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.

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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
CT - Catherine Tomlinson, Senior Student Advisor
DD - Dr Deborah Drake, Senior Lecturer Criminology, Head of SPC 2018-21😇
SD - Shaun Daley, Head OU’s Resourcing Hub. Head Strategic Resources, Co-Chair OU’s LGBT+ Staff Network
SJ - Samantha Jacobson, Employee Relations Case Manager
NS - Nicola Snarey, Assoc Lecturer Eng Language - This witness did not give evidence.

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

Thread 7
https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4922765-prof-jo-phoenix-vs-the-ou-employment-tribunal-thread-7

Thanks for thé new thread (and all the old ones!)

£11,405 to go.

Can anybody explain to me the gardening reference? I know what's being discussed, but what's the story behind the gardening?

Is it still an 11am start tomorrow?

I've wondered that too. I know that MN don't allow direct appeals for money so there has to be a euphemistic way of talking about it, I just don't know why gardening in particular.

Thanks @ickky . Tomorrow will be interesting. I've been reading selected snippets to DP who now also bows at the altar of BC and fully now gets why I took vser from a similarly captured institution in July.

Is there a deadline for gardening? I planted some stuff last week but could do with waiting a week or so before doing more

Dig For Victory

Google Jo phoenix tribunal and her allotment will come up, its code for growing things, such as legal teams

I gardened, but unfortunately I could only afford a few bulbs. I hope target is met. What happens if not?

@ickky it is 11 tomorrow I think?

Thanks Ickky

Thanks ickky for the new thread. Just one sleep to go. I've put my Sex Matters mug out for the morning.

I didn’t wake up until 13.30 today/yesterday, so hope I’m up in time for BC’s submission tomorrow/today.

Just checking in and to pay homage to @TwoDrifters2 non-brinery pun on the previous thread.

Truly glorious.

[and... placemarking].

Checking in for today. Thank you to everyone commenting on proceedings. 💪

Looking forward to hearing BC's summary of just how badly the OU behaved in pursuit of their ideology. I really, really hope this becomes a lesson to other institutions.

I can't wait to hear what the OU KC is going to say. Particularly coming after BC repeatedly pointing out all the "inaccuracies" between what their witness said on the stand vs their witness statements.

Thanking everyone in advance for your excellent notes of what's going to happen today.

So much wit and wisdom, and the non-brinery pun particularly tickled me 👏

What was the pun, I missed it

Blimey, that article.

Not easy to pull out the key facts amongst all the verbiage but it seemed to be:

• New VC tries to cut costs, close some offices, introduce new ways of working,
• 70 members of the union UCU take the radical and ground breaking step of setting up a WhatsApp, practically unheard of in/ before 2018 apparently
• union members message each other about VC’s all staff meetings and debate the merits of leaking to the press
• VC eventually leaves
• four of them write a rambling article about how radical it was to have a WhatsApp group and how they fought against “quiescence”, their favourite word.
• early in the article they say they are not claiming that their actions directly led to the VC’s departure

Caveat: I may have failed to spot some key facts due to getting bored with the lengthy screed/ overblown claims.

Anyone who has taken one for the team and properly read the whole thing, please do correct me on anything I’ve missed or misrepresented.

Caveat: I may have failed to spot some key facts due to getting bored with the lengthy screed/ overblown claims.

It's a good summary but you didn't represent quite how wanky it was, with all its tenuous bee analogies and puns.

Annoyingly I'll be stuck on motorways for 4hours+, but relieved we baulked at the £££ train fare (the line is flooded and likely to remain so for much of the morning).

I'm struggling to imagine what on earth the OU can argue. There were so many new phones an testimony that was inconsistent with their witness statements.

I hope that BC's voice is back on form!

I don’t suppose anyone has a list of all the ongoing allotments do they for various good causes?

It’s payday next week, and given that bulbs that are planted now are likely to flower next Spring, I thought I could plant a few snow drops for each of them.

I should have put a warning on that, I didn't get through the first paragraph.😴Ironic that quiescence is a oft used word.

Mine doesn't need to. ask - as a retired man trapped under two large cats he is unable to escape wand gets a running commentary from the posts on here, with particularly witty comments, and particularly stupid OU admissions read out verbatim. His worst times are when I (tunelessly) sing the lyrics to all o the songs.

MINOR DERAIL. RE: CHEESE AND GINGER BISCUITS COMBO

The ginger biscuit employed was that King of Ginger Biscuits, the Ringtons' Ginger Snap - a thin and incredibly crisp biccy with a very pleasing crackled appearance to the surface texture. It is (I would estimate) about 2 inches in diameter, so large enough to give a decent taste sample. Sweet, but not too sweet, and equally recommended for crunching and dunking, the Ringtons is the Viperine ginger snap of choice and well worth its exorbitant price. It is considered a necessary indulgence in the Vipers' Nest.

The cheese was a modest Pilgrim's Choice Extra Mature Cheddar - a reasonable, modestly priced cheese - smoother in texture than is ideal (I like cheese with those little crunchy bits in it) but not at all bad for the price. Two thin(nish) slices were placed on the biscuit. No butter was involved in this experiment.

The preliminary nibble seemed to be ginger biscuit flavour only, so I added a smidgeon (1) more cheese. The next bite was considerably more satisfying and as I chewed and the rich, slightly tart, creaminess of the cheese merged with the crunchy sweetness of the ginger biscuit, I realised that I had been blessed with a new taste sensation to add to my cheese pantechnicon (2).

I would give it 4⭐out of 5. I am going to try it with a stronger cheddar from the cheese shop in the Metrocentre - they do a lovely Northumbrian Cheddar which has quite a bite.

All in all, definitely to be recommended. Try it with your preferred cheese and biccies as it is worth the experimentation (3)

(1) Lump

(2) I am not sure if this is the right word, but it looks very impressive, and if the OU can get away with talking bollox, there is no reason why I shouldn't.

(3) This has got m wondering if you can actually buy cheese with crystallised ginger in it, like you can get Wensleydale with cranberries in. It seems such a made-in-heaven combination that if you can't I'm going to Write An Open Letter to cheese companies to demand suggest it. I will expect you all to sign. There's no need to read it - just lend your support. Trust me that it is a worthy cause. I feel very unsafe that such a cheese is not freely available in supermarkets/