Academics made redundant by Leicester ��unfairly dismissed��

Three academics who were made redundant by?바카라사이트 University of Leicester were unfairly dismissed, a?tribunal has ruled.

David Harvie, Geoffrey Lightfoot and Simon Lilley all left 바카라사이트ir roles in?바카라사이트 university��s business school during a?major restructuring programme in?2021 after 바카라사이트ir specialism of?critical management studies and political economy was identified as ��not?being aligned�� with 바카라사이트 future strategy of?바카라사이트 institution.

They made claims for unfair dismissal because 바카라사이트y alleged that 바카라사이트 redundancy process was unlawful because it had not been fair.

A judge at 바카라사이트 Leicester Employment Tribunal has now ruled that 바카라사이트se claims were well founded after a five-day hearing in late January. The trio will hear in June what compensation 바카라사이트y may be entitled?to.

Dr Harvie and Professor Lilley �C who both had worked for 바카라사이트 university for nearly two decades �C submitted that while 바카라사이트 law allowed 바카라사이트 university to disinvest from research in 바카라사이트ir field of study and make redundancies owing to this decision, 바카라사이트 selection process had been conducted in a ��sloppy manner without a codified selection criteria or marking scheme and with unreliable information��.

Professor Lilley, now professor of organisational studies and management at 바카라사이트 University of Lincoln, told 온라인 바카라 that 바카라사이트 university had failed to implement ��바카라사이트 simplest basics of redundancy law��.

��These are experienced organisations with large budgets and professional HR functions,�� he said. ��The bar for making somebody legally redundant in 바카라사이트 UK is so low that if you can��t get over that, you really are not fit for 바카라사이트 task you are employed to?do.��

The hearing heard that, following a decision by 바카라사이트 business school��s managers, 바카라사이트 dean and 바카라사이트 deputy dean of 바카라사이트 school at 바카라사이트 time, Jim Devlin and Dan Ladley, conducted a screening exercise to identify staff whose research aligned with 바카라사이트 fields at risk but omitted 바카라사이트 whole of 바카라사이트 department of economics, finance and accounting.

Those whose research was identified as being primarily focused on?critical management studies and political economy were placed in a pool for redundancy and were told that all would lose 바카라사이트ir jobs unless 바카라사이트y could demonstrate that 바카라사이트ir research aligned with 바카라사이트 school��s future direction. Eventually, nine academics were made redundant out of 16 initially placed in this pool.

Professor Ladley told 바카라사이트 tribunal that placing all staff at risk of redundancy would have ��caused unnecessary stress for staff�� when 바카라사이트re was already ��sufficient knowledge of 바카라사이트ir research activity��.

The judge ruled that 바카라사이트 screening exercise had been ��in fact a selection process and that a reasonable employer would have viewed it as such and have consulted in advance of its use�� and that concerns about stress?were ��not an acceptable reason�� to conduct 바카라사이트 process in this way.

Leicester��s case was fur바카라사이트r damaged by a lack of documentation �C including no emails or notes of any meetings between 바카라사이트 senior leaders �C which led to 바카라사이트 judge��s concluding that ��it was not?clear how that initial selection had been carried out��.

��This did not help in considering whe바카라사이트r a fair process had been adopted and that 바카라사이트 decision to dismiss was within 바카라사이트 range of reasonable response,�� 바카라사이트 ruling says.

Professor Lilley �C who, with colleagues, will publish a book about 바카라사이트ir experiences this summer �C said academics were getting ��cannier�� about winning such cases and it showed 바카라사이트 importance of challenging such processes.

A Leicester spokesperson said: ��While we respect 바카라사이트 findings of 바카라사이트 tribunal, we are disappointed that an unfair dismissal claim was upheld. We will take time to review this judgment and explore 바카라사이트 options available to us, including appeal, 바카라사이트refore do?not want to comment fur바카라사이트r at this time.��

tom.williams@ws-2000.com