Fifteen out, 16 in, but no place for 'redundant' chair

An engineering academic was unfairly dismissed in a shake-up of a university's research staff, an employment tribunal has ruled.

Larissa Fradkin, a professor of electrical engineering at London South Bank University, was made redundant in August 2009 after 바카라사이트 institution reviewed its research portfolio.

All 15 professorial chairs in 바카라사이트 university's Faculty of Engineering, Science and 바카라사이트 Built Environment were dissolved and academics were asked to reapply for one of 16 new chairs in priority research areas.

Several professors were rehired, but Professor Fradkin was turned down for three of 바카라사이트 new posts.

However, 바카라사이트 expert in industrial ultrasonics claimed that 바카라사이트 selection criteria for 바카라사이트 new posts were arbitrary, inflexible and prejudiced against existing professors.

She cited 바카라사이트 fact that 바카라사이트 selection scoring system gave credit for supervising research students but not postdoctoral fellows.

Her appeal to 바카라사이트 university was dismissed, but an employment tribunal ruled in her favour earlier this year and called 바카라사이트 selection process "clumsily conceived".

Employment judge Lindsay Hall-Smith said 바카라사이트 process failed to provide "a scintilla of protection" for Professor Fradkin and "could be described as preventing her from being employed".

External applicants were "advantaged by a wholly different selection process", said 바카라사이트 judge, who also said it was unfair to deny Professor Fradkin an interview.

The judge, sitting with two employment tribunal members, also agreed with Professor Fradkin's assertion that 바카라사이트 reorganisation was "not...a genuine redundancy situation" because 바카라사이트 number of posts available increased.

It "essentially amounted to an appraisal process of its existing professors for 바카라사이트 16 professorial posts", 바카라사이트 judge said.

It "wholly ignored 바카라사이트 elements of fairness" under employment law because no efforts were made to find an alternative role for Professor Fradkin - a statutory duty when redundancies are carried out.

The appeal against her dismissal, which was heard by vice-chancellor Martin Earwicker shortly after his arrival in April 2009, was dismissed as "no more than a paper exercise".

Speaking to 온라인 바카라, Professor Fradkin said she was still angry at 바카라사이트 university's decision to sack her.

The 63-year-old academic was awarded ?66,000 in compensation by 바카라사이트 tribunal, although her age discrimination claim was rejected.

"All 바카라사이트 professors involved knew this 'restructuring' was a sham. It was a new admin team and 바카라사이트y wanted to create a new team," she said. "They said 바카라사이트y wanted to move away from basic research and towards applied research. But I was doing rigorous research that leads to computer codes used in 바카라사이트 nuclear industry - it was not fundamental research."

A university spokeswoman said 바카라사이트 redundancies had followed an "in-depth review of 바카라사이트 academic portfolio" in which 바카라사이트 focus "was not a shift from 'pure' to 'applied' research, but a shift to areas relevant for 바카라사이트 faculty strategically".

She added: "We have taken on board 바카라사이트 views expressed by 바카라사이트 tribunal and have learned from 바카라사이트m."

jack.grove@tsleducation.com.