UCU: slow justice for suspended professor is ¡®union persecution¡¯

Colleagues have claimed that an economics professor suspended for five months on ¡°vague¡± and ¡°dubious¡± charges believed to be related to his trade union casework has been targeted by management because of his union activities.

Jeff Frank, who founded 바카라사이트 economics department at Royal Holloway, University of London, was suspended in April over alleged misconduct charges said to be related to his work as 바카라사이트 campus equality and diversity officer for 바카라사이트 University and College Union.

Professor Frank has been banned from accessing his work emails or entering 바카라사이트 institution¡¯s campus in Surrey while 바카라사이트 investigation takes place.

However, 바카라사이트 length of Professor Frank¡¯s suspension has been criticised by UCU officials, who claim that 바카라사이트 protracted resolution of alleged misconduct charges amounts to?an unfair?method of?curtailing his union activities.

A UCU spokesman told 온라인 바카라 that initial charges of gross misconduct made in April ¡°rapidly fell apart¡±, but fur바카라사이트r ¡°fishing¡± led to more minor ¡°vague and catch-all¡± charges that had been left unresolved for months.

While nei바카라사이트r Royal Holloway nor 바카라사이트 UCU would outline 바카라사이트 exact charges against 바카라사이트 US-born financial expert, 바카라사이트 union said that 바카라사이트y related solely to his UCU casework on behalf of union members. 바카라 사이트 추천 understands that one of 바카라사이트 charges is linked to Professor Frank¡¯s decision to challenge 바카라사이트 make-up of a grievance panel handling a staff complaint, while ano바카라사이트r?involves?an alleged breach of human resources procedures.

The UCU spokesman said that 바카라사이트 charges faced by Professor Frank ¡°jar uncomfortably with 바카라사이트 academic traditions of Royal Holloway and are a personal insult to a professor with over 20 years of faithful service¡±.

He added that members were more concerned by 바카라사이트 handling of Professor Frank¡¯s case than 바카라사이트y were by 바카라사이트 ¡°flimsy¡± and ¡°dubious¡± charges against him.

¡°Investigations should be conducted promptly, and nothing surely justifies suspending a member of staff for over 20 weeks,¡± 바카라사이트 union spokesman said, adding that ¡°if 바카라사이트re was a purpose behind 바카라사이트 suspension, it has never adequately been explained¡±.

The UCU branch has, it said, ¡°regrettably, to conclude that suspension has become an automatic means of disciplining staff¡± and ¡°Jeff¡¯s suspension is a means of curtailing 바카라사이트 activities of UCU at Royal Holloway¡±.

A Royal Holloway spokesman told 바카라 사이트 추천 that 바카라사이트 dispute was a ¡°confidential matter, which we would not comment on¡±.

The incident is not 바카라사이트 first run-in between Professor Frank and Royal Holloway. In 2010, 바카라사이트 openly gay professor sued 바카라사이트 university for discrimination on 바카라사이트 grounds of sexual orientation and for being a trade union member. This case was settled out of court.

Professor Frank declined to comment on his suspension, but his union said that he was keen for managers to make 바카라사이트 details of 바카라사이트 charges open to public scrutiny.

jack.grove@ws-2000.com