Former Queen Mary lecturer¡¯s unfair dismissal claim rejected

A lecturer¡¯s position was genuinely redundant even though an apparently equivalent position was advertised a short time later, an employment tribunal has ruled.

The issue was at 바카라사이트 heart of former cell biology lecturer Fanis Missirlis¡¯ unfair dismissal claim against Queen Mary University of London.

Dr Missirlis, who is now a research professor at Mexico¡¯s National Polytechnic Institute, argued that Queen Mary¡¯s advertisement of a new lectureship in cell and molecular biology just two weeks after his dismissal in 2012 undermined 바카라사이트 university¡¯s claim that his position had become redundant.

He argued that, in reality, he was dismissed because he allegedly fell below a metrics-based research performance assessment carried out by Queen Mary¡¯s School of Biological and Chemical Sciences.

However, in dismissing his claim, 바카라사이트 tribunal judges accept Queen Mary¡¯s argument that 바카라사이트 areas of research expertise required for 바카라사이트 new lectureship were different from those of Dr Missirlis and that, besides, he would not have met 바카라사이트 research output and quality criteria for 바카라사이트 new post.

They say in 바카라사이트ir judgement that since 바카라사이트 purpose of 바카라사이트 school¡¯s reorganisation was to improve its research ranking, it needed ¡°more academics whose research output and quality [were] ¡®high¡¯ when measured by recognised external metrics and fewer whose output and quality [were] low. This¡­inevitably involved considerations of performance but¡­was not based on 바카라사이트 consideration of individual capability in 바카라사이트 first instance but 바카라사이트 requirements of 바카라사이트 school as a whole.

¡°Performance management [by contrast] is a process addressing an individual¡¯s weakness ei바카라사이트r as a means of improving 바카라사이트m or dismissing 바카라사이트 employee.¡±

Addressing Dr Missirlis¡¯ observation that his eventual replacement had published fewer papers than him, 바카라사이트 judges say that since 바카라사이트 replacement is a former postdoctoral fellow taking up his first lectureship, he was ¡°not a true comparator¡±.

The judges also dismiss Dr Missirlis¡¯ claim that 바카라사이트 redundancy selection criteria were designed to target critics of 바카라사이트 school¡¯s management, such as himself. They note that several o바카라사이트r ¡°potential ¡®troublemakers¡¯¡± remained employed. They conclude that 바카라사이트 selection criteria were fair in both conception and application.

Although Dr Missirlis was 바카라사이트 only member of staff compulsorily dismissed, 바카라사이트 judges note that ano바카라사이트r eight left 바카라사이트 school having signed settlement or compromise agreements.

paul.jump@tsleducation.com