Justice delayed

I now realise I should have worn more
sombre attire to the Tribunal

Well there's a turn up for the books... the Employment Tribunal scheduled for tomorrow has been postponed at the eleventh and a half hour as there is no judge available to hear it!

All is not lost. We have been prioritised and will be rescheduled when a two-day window becomes available. It simply means that we can work to ensure that we gain access to the three sets of documents (including the contentious TCM Group report and ten page Executive Summary) that have been requested and so far denied to us by the University and the UCU.

We shall however be making public the content of specific documents provided to us under a Data Protection request, that might make 'difficult' reading for certain union officials.

Watch this space.

In the public domain

The Court Jester

Well. It's an interesting piece of logic... wrong but interesting none the less.

I've just (yesterday) been informed by Martyn Moss by email (Mr Moss is a UCU official for the North West region), that the UCU will not provide me with the TCM Group Report or the Executive Summary as requested. You may recall, I actually wrote to the President of the UCU Salford University branch and requested the documents from her.

The Report and Executive Summary deal with the issues of appointments and the appointment process in the Salford Business School. This of course is an issue that is directly pertinent to my Employment Tribunal tomorrow. I've asked my former employer via their lawyers for a copy of both to no avail. They seem a little less than forthcoming with all sorts of information these days including the TCM Report and this Summary.

What a fool believes

Of course my union, having received this damning evidence from the University would, you might believe, be tripping over themselves to provide this vital evidence to me on the eve of the Tribunal. Oh what a fool am I.

I have clearly been living in a parallel or some sort of inverted Carrollian netherworld populated by rotund twins and top-hat wearing rabbits with possible mental health issues. It is clear that I have got it completely arse-end upwards! How silly was I in thinking that when something is in the public domain it is actually in the public domain.

That Our Glorious Leader Chris Sheehy had had verbally delivered the ten page Executive Summary to UCU members at an Extraordinary General Meeting in the Salford Business School and UNISON reps who were in attendance, might suggest it is. That she had supplied copies of the same Executive Summary to reps that are available for viewing by UCU members, might suggest it is. Apparently not so.

According to Mr Moss who now speaks exclusively on behalf of OGL with regard to matters concerning my good self, informs me that access to this document is conditional and that 'it is not in the "public" domain'. Mr Moss also closes by suggesting that I 'should seek disclosure of pertinent documents from your former employer using the tribunal disclosure procedures.' Mr Moss also now considers 'this correspondence closed'.

I thought it wise to ask Mr Moss to elaborate on why he believed it's not in the public domain and I eagerly await his response.

A two-tier form of disclosure?

Now, forgive me Ms Sheehy and Mr Moss, but I feel the teensy-weensiest bit discriminated against by my own union. Why? Well it would appear that certain lay members of the UCU (those in the Business School) have privileged access to these document and while other UCU members do not. Do all our members have the right to know is the question here?

Now it doesn't look very good does it? Never mind, it'll all come out in the wash over the next few days.

Employment Tribunal

Dr G Duke v University of Salford

10:00am Wednesday 29th & Thursday 30th September

Alexandra House

14-22 The Parsonage

Manchester

Bring on the vikings

Just an update on the continuing saga that is frankly taking on Norse-like proportions that would make Kirk Douglas and Tony Curtis proud.

She could send it by boat if necessary!

Yes, it's revolving around the sticky subject of access to the TCM Group Executive Summary like a redundant rogue earth-bound communications satellite. I thought it might be in the interest of UCU members at Salford and beyond, to make public my letter to our UCU branch President Chris Sheehy.

20 September 2010

Dear Chris

I have been informed that you have verbally delivered a reading of the ten page Executive Summary of the TCM Group review on Friday the 17th September in room 813 to members of the UCU including members from Salford Business School and reps from UNISON. I am also aware that specific UCU reps are allowing UCU members access to this document.

It is clear that the Executive Summary is now in the public domain and as such I would like to officially request a copy from you or the reps who hold copies. It can be supplied to me either in electronic or hard format. I wish to enter this as evidence as I am aware that it contains specific information that is central to my case being heard at the forthcoming Employment Tribunal.

Given the proximity of the Tribunal which is scheduled for next week, the 29th and 30th of September 2010, I would anticipate that it should take no longer than two working days to supply this documentation. I am happy to meet with you or the reps off campus to collect any documentation.

Should you fail to provide the documentation as requested, I reserve the right to bring this letter and your failure to supply said documents to the attention of the Tribunal.

Yours fraternally

Dr Gary Duke

I'd like to report that the Executive Summary is now in my hand... I'd like to but I can't.

It's not donned it's winged helmet or boots for that matter, nor has it winged its way to my postbox via the hand of Our Glorious Leader. Nor have I received any reply to my letter, indeed not even the courtesy of an acknowledgement.

I leave you to draw your own conclusions

Dr Gary Duke

UCU Member: 103260