To update you - or at least the many of you who have exprssed interest and
support in this matter. To put anyone in the dark in the light, Jethro
Cadbury, who is not a poet but is a colleague of mine, co-mover with me on
Mainstream - I edit and he shovels the brown stuff, and organiser of
Association of Little Presses, has been sacked by his employers South Thames
College for discussing educational standards with The Times

Jed's I.T. was today. His legal rep thanks all of those who have sent in
messages of support *especially those affirming the importance of academic
freedom and their belief that what Jed did is ok.

Both parties to the tribunal asked for two days. They scheduled us for one
and then said - today - of course we'll probably need two. So we do. And the
next is in two weeks time.

So far STC have defended themselves and been cross-examined. I shan't say
here any great detail. That would not be proper. There are issues that
emerge which are so general that I think it's ok

Jed has an explicit academic freedom clause in his contract. We were told
that this only applies to people teaching on or researching on academic
freedom matters. They would sack anyone else - i.e. anyone not a social
scientist on a specific line of work - who expressed an opinion on standards
etc especially if it were not framed in general terms. That is, speak about
a course, an exam etc and you have no academic freedom.

Much of their defence emphasised their role as a business.

I suggest that whatever sector or course you are in, if you are teaching in
any way, make sure your union has a policy on academic freedom and is
prepared to back it. Because South Thames College at least would seem to
want to tear up that bit of their lecturers' contracts.

The Times was there with photographers. Far be it from me to promote a News
International item, but you could say _I know that bloke_ or _I know a bloke
who knows that bloke_

Metaphor of the day - to explain a rather muddled response to a question
about what may or may not be discussed and how and when, the Head of Human
Resources, ha!, said well _instead of talking about degrees let's say we
were producing ball-bearings; it's exactly the same

Potentially, this case is of great importance. Jed'll survive, but he wanted
to stay in teaching. Fight now, not when they do it to you.

I am MORE than happy to continue with this, but it might be more appropriate
if responses were sent backchannel - but I leave that to the judgement of
anyone responding

May I take one more minute - many will be expecting the ALP newsletter for
June... that is ready to be made up etc and will be sent out in a day or
two... JC apologises but he's had these other things on his mind

Diana Bless

L




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