Please see message below from Steve Jeffreys.
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Dear Trade Union Friends,
I'm writing to let you know that I was suspended on Wednesday by Londonmet after a 45 minute investigation into the WLRI because I appointed a former prisoner who had served 13 years imprisonment to a part-time, casual three month maternity cover job in our social justice Institute.
Did I know that his conviction in 1996 was for conspiracy to blow up the Israeli embassy? Yes. I also knew that he had been refused parole for 6 years because he maintained his innocence, and that Paul Foot and Robert Fisk had campaigned for him. And I saw his CV which included his having completed an OU degree in sociology and an MA in Peace and Reconciliation (with merit), as well has having been prisoners' rep on equality issues.
But actually, although this all made him an ideal person to work with us, I felt there was also a basic human rights issues involved. Do we give people a second chance?
The inference involved in my suspension and possible disciplinary action is that either I was involved in some highly sophisticated conspiracy to place a Palestinian terrorist 'sleeper' in a position where he could influence young minds and eventually get elected as staff governor (which five years after Jawad Botmeh started work has now triggered three suspensions), or that I was criminally stupid.
Everyone who knows me or my work knows that I am a principled socialist. But for me, my decision not to discriminate against this applicant whom I had never met, and whom Max Watson (a now very active UNISON trade unionist who is also suspended) had met once at a party is actually the survival of a liberal approach to others in my university. If a Research Institute dedicated to the promotion of social justice in a public institution will not give someone like Jawad the chance to work, who else will?
You'll realise that we are all in a state of shock. Three of the 13 WLRI staff are now suspended. Two others are still under investigation. I fear for our future - just weeks after celebrating our tenth anniversary.
The email addresses of Malcolm Gillies, VC, and the other governors are below. Please do inundate them with emails protesting this awful situation. The UCU and UNISON are united in supporting the three of us who are suspended - and your protest, and those you can encourage others to take, will strengthen their hands in the 'informal contacts' that are taking place in the hope of preventing the university from taking the next step of firing those it has suspended.
thanks in advance
all the best
Steve
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Martin Upchurch
Professor of International Employment Relations
Middlesex University Business School
The Burroughs
Hendon
London NW4 4BT
07545 487952
[log in to unmask]
Global Work and Employment Project (GWEp)
http://www.mdx.ac.uk/research/areas/HR/gwep/index.aspx
Globalisation and Work Facebook Group
http://www.facebook.com/?ref=home#/group.php?gid=238371095227&ref=ts
Beyond Labour Regulation blog
http://www.globalworkonline.net/blog/beyondlabour/
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From: Critical Labour Studies [[log in to unmask]] On Behalf Of Tish Gibbons [[log in to unmask]]
Sent: 22 February 2013 17:44
To: [log in to unmask]
Subject: Re: WLRI London Met Suspensions - CLS
Ian,
thanks for posting this and in advance of the symposium, also as a doctoral student at Working Lives, I'd like to express my support for all staff at the Institute at this difficult time. Although I live on the west coast of Ireland, I chose the professional doctorate programme the Institute offers at London Met, deliberately and specifically because of the reputation of Working Lives. As a trade union official and with my own commitments to social justice outside of the workplace, I was particular to find some place to study which matched. All of my expectations in terms of education and ethos have been met and exceeded during the three years I have been a student here. I had not anticipated the commitment of the staff which I have to say has been extraordinary. They have created a unique place of study and support for students and have enabled some of us to continue studying when life events made it difficult. Even during this stressful time for themselves, they have continued to support us and ensure that this debacle does not interrupt our studies. London Met, on the other hand, has not bothered to do anything. This campaign of harassment should cease; Max, Jawad and Steve should be reinstated and London Met should be ashamed of itself.
Tish Gibbons
(Student at WLRI on the Professional Doctorate in Researching Work programme)
On 21 February 2013 14:44, Ian Manborde <[log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>> wrote:
Due to the recent suspensions at LMU it has been agreed that the CLS symposium 2-3 March include a discussion on how our network can support the campaign, but also what it means for trade union organisation in HE more broadly.
I am currently undertaking my doctorate within the WLRI and at the symposium there will be another student and a member of staff so we can update those attending on the situation and of the differing staff/student responses.
Ian Manborde
Programme Co-ordinator
MA - International Labour & Trade Union Studies (ILTUS)
Ruskin College
Ruskin Hall
Dunstan Road
Old Headington
Oxford OX3 9BZ
Mobile: 07900 325 379
Office: 01865 759608
Blog: ianmanborde.blogspot.com<http://ianmanborde.blogspot.com>
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Tish Gibbons
Part-time Professional Doctorate Student
(DProf Researching Work)
Working Lives Research Institute
London Metropolitan University
UK Mobile:- (079) 17325199
Full-time Researcher
SIPTU Trade Union
Forster Court, Galway
Republic of Ireland
RoI Mobile:- (087) 6776819
Companies Act 2006 : http://www.londonmet.ac.uk/companyinfo
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