Another GC employment tribunal. Roz Adams vs Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre #2

[nauticant]

Claiming constructive dismissal for GC beliefs.

ERCC CEO is a well known transwoman know for controversial "reframe your trauma" remarks.

There was live tweeting from twitter.com/tribunaltweets or if Twitter doesn't show the tweets, look at https://nitter.net/tribunaltweets

Abbreviations:
J: Employment Judge McFatridge
RA: Roz Adams, the claimant
NC: Naomi Cunningham, barrister for the claimant
R or ERCC: the Respondent, Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre
DH: David Hay KC, barrister for the respondent
KM: Katy McTernan, ERCC Senior management
MR: Mairi Rosko, ERCC Board Member
MS: Miren Sagues, ERCC Board Member
KH: Katie Horburgh, ERCC Board Member
AB: ERCC staff member (name redacted)
NCi: Nico Ciubotariu, COO of ERCC
MW: Mridul Wadhwa, CEO of ERCC
BP: Beira's Place

Witnesses:
Nicole Jones (NJ): 18 January 2024
Mairi Rosko (MR): 19 January 2024
[more to follow]

Thread #1: https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4985570-another-gc-employment-tribunal-adams-vs-edinburgh-rape-crsis

Well that's vindication for Roz's actions right there.

Surely even an organisation as self-exculpatory as RCS cannot think that this exonerates them in any way.

As a national organisation working to end sexual violence, Rape Crisis Scotland works with a network of 17 member Rape Crisis Centres across Scotland. Edinburgh Rape Crisis Centre is an autonomous member centre and as such, Rape Crisis Scotland was not involved in any of the circumstances leading to the tribunal.
Rape Crisis support services should be survivor centred, trauma informed and meet survivors where their needs are. All Rape Crisis Centres in Scotland are signed up to working within UK-wide national services standards. These set out that every Centre must provide and protect dedicated women only spaces. These standards also require Rape Crisis Centres to ensure that their services are informed by the needs of service users, with each service user being an active partner in the support they receive.
These standards aim to ensure that service users are enabled to make their own choices about the support they receive and who provides it. Rape Crisis Centres should always seek explicit and informed consent from service users, and work with them to develop individual support plans that are flexible and tailored to their specific needs.

https://www.rapecrisisscotland.org.uk/news/news/our-statement-on-the-ongoing-employment-tribunal-concerning-edinburgh-rape-crisis-centre/

Particularly in the light of the meeting that they facilitated with HEAL, they wholeheartedly endorsed ERCC's approach in such matters.

I know ERCC of old, from the days when the RCS chief exec Sandy Brindley met with Joan McAlpine and four survivors of rape (the HEAL group) and saw fit to bring a TRA along to the meeting. I also knew one of their trustees who is no longer there and was a dyed in the wool be kind TWAW true believer. I also remember the interview with Mridul W where they talk about it being normal for a woman to have an orgasm during rape. Some truly sinister people involved with ERCC who care far more about the trans agenda than they do about traumatised women. I really hope some good comes of this. Well done to Ros, whatever the outcome.

Here is the article

https://studentnewspaper.org/an-insight-with-mridul-wadhwa-into-working-in-a-rape-crisis-centre/

‘The other myth is that your body may react in a physical way to sexual violence including an orgasm but that does not mean that it’s not rape because that’s a physical response. You can’t control how your body responds to violence.”

In all my days (which are quite a few now)in the field of VAWG as an interested party i have never heard a single practitioner say something like this.

Not going to say more in case it gets me deleted.

@RethinkingLife I could not agree more with this Governance is derided as red tape but it isn't. Most major scandals have poor governance at their heart.

This case is a great example of why it is important for Trustees to take their responsibilities seriously. Good governance is rarely noticed but poor governance will eventually shine through like a shaft of sunlight cutting through the ice you are skating on. It's not actually difficult but it does require honesty, critical thinking, self-awareness and diligence.

Agree it looks like RCS are trying to distance themselves which is interesting given the tribunal is ongoing. They must realise it looks horrendous. As the umbrella, they are not responsible for ERCC actions but agree they helped create the conditions and should be utterly ashamed.

Meanwhile TFN (Third Force News, the main sector publication in Scotland) have yet to pick this up which is hugely disappointing. I presume they are waiting on the outcome so they know how to pitch it as I think they and SCVO (who own them) are full on TWAW.

The sector isn't fully captured but the bits and people that are don't half go on about it, while the rest of us are just doing the work.

That is astonishing- the tribunal is still ongoing so it doesn't show a lot of confidence in ERCC's position! It won't be enough to stop the questions on rape crisis scotland though they allowed this shit show to happen

I'm confused - I thought RCS were fully signed up to "inclusivity" and TWAW as well?

They are but they've clearly realised being caught out gaslighting rape victims isn't a good look. And the Scottish Government could do with a distraction right now (what's app messages anyone?) so may view rape crisis Scotland as a good sacrifice

On the governance issue - here's a wholly factual thread on the trustees of ERCC. I've got another banger for Monday. On the speed of trustee rotation. A revolving door looks slow by contrast.
https://threadreaderapp.com/thread/1748374091910844557.html

So presumably RCS will be disaffiliating from ERCC then because they are clearly failing to be "survivor centred, trauma informed and meet survivors where their needs are."

Thank you @Justabaker does that mean all the current trustees joined after or around the time Rox was under investigation?

Director rotation at ERCC:

https://find-and-update.company-information.service.gov.uk/company/SC291742/filing-history

That is a level of director changes that should be a red flag to the charity regulator

Part of me had hoped that ERCC was the exception and that RCS was horrified by what's been going on.

But that was a bit naive of me, wasn't it? They have been actively pushing the gender agenda for years.

I would have thought they might wait til the ET was over and a verdict given. This statement looks a bit panicked, to me.

As I understand the timeline, RA joined ERCC around the start of 2021, mid-2022 the service user email arrived, and then the investigation was in the second half of 2022, with RA resigning on 30 March 2023.

Waiting, In my just awake state... I think he was asking why they hadn't given Roz information on what exactly they were going to discuss in the disciplinary meeting, she just got told there was a problem with some of her comments. I can't right now remember exactly what he asked, I was more struck by the tone in which he said it. It was obvious he wasnt impressed with the witness.

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4728081-rape-crisis-scotland-on-isla-bryson

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4248871-Times-article-Protests-over-trans-woman-heading-rape-crisis-centre

'Rape Crisis Scotland, which runs 17 member centres in the country, said they were “proud” to have Wadhwa “as a colleague within our movement”.

Sandy Brindley, chief executive, said: “Mridul Wadhwa brings to this role extensive experience working in the violence against women sector. All rape crisis centres in Scotland work within equality and employment law. There is a lot of misinformation and targeted harassment in relation to Mridul. We think this is unacceptable.”'

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4723007-rape-crisis-scotland-and-scottish-womens-aid-sign-statement-of-support-for-scottish-grr-bill

'Our organisations see the paths to equality for women and trans people as being deeply interconnected and dependent on our shared efforts to dismantle patriarchal systems that impose barriers to full equality for us all.'

More of Sandy Brindley and RCS on the GRR consultation:

https://www.mumsnet.com/talk/womens_rights/4559540-joint-note-from-9-organisations-on-scottish-govs-gender-reforms?page=2

'Q. We heard earlier in the session that some women were opting out of attending single sex spaces and services for women like rape crisis centres. Is this something that you are aware of? Have you heard about it? What would your response be?

Sandy Brindley: Yes, we've been trans inclusive in our services for 15 years. This has only been an issue that has come up very very recently really I think triggered by a lot of the debate around this bill. So what I would say is the numbers of survivors and women using our services really increases every single week. There definitely has been no reduction in demand on our services but I would say that if anyone has any concerns at all about accessing our services please get in contact with their local service because we will do everythign we can to talk through any concerns you have because what we want to make sure is that anyone who needs our services feels comfortable and able to use them.'

Has this been shared from Heal Survivors Group. Seems that RCS were fully on board. Shame on them trying to distance themselves once the shit hits the fan.

https://www.parliament.scot/-/media/files/committees/equalities-human-rights-and-civil-justice-committee/correspondence/2022/gender-recognition-reform-heal-survivors-group-letter.pdf

https://twitter.com/hightreebud/status/1747324673405174184

Sandy Brindley is a disgrace

What makes a good trustee:
“Trustees have expert knowledge
- experts in their field
- have relevant industry experience
- may have been trustees before,
- held prominent positions in the charitable sector,
- worked in the field.
- well recognised in their profession “

Four ERCC’s trustees are age 25 and under.

Occupations: include: student sabbatical officer; democracy assistant.

Four ERCC’s trustees are age 25 and under.
Occupations: include: student sabbatical officer; democracy assistant.

Yes, I noticed this the last time I looked at their Companies House records a couple of years ago. There have been even more revolving door appointments since then.

Would it be the trustees that have the authority to remove MW from the CEO role?

@Rainbowshit Yes, but they would obviously need to follow the correct process to do so and I'm sure would have another tribunal on their hands if there was any opportunity of such. This is why the initial recruitment is so important, along with good employment law support. It's not clear to me whether their employment law support is poor or whether they (willfully) misinterpreted the advice given. Probably a bit of both. I also suspect that they misrepresented the situation when seeking advice, possibly even without realising because they are all so sucked in by the ideology.

I was thinking about this i suppose they could try the we didn’t know he was a man approach…….

Wow That is a ringing endorsement. What a shitshow.