• Total amount of taxpayer money spent on HR related legal fees since 2003 to date (Jan. 2008) is £903,727.70
• Statistics on Reasons for Leaving Employment at Kingston University - 2003-08 (Excel format .XLS Spreadsheet)
The above statistics reveal that during the period of 2005-08, 36% of the dismissed staff were members of ethnic/religious minorities and 18% were non-British born.
In addition 13 staff terminated employment through compromise agreements during this period. How many of them were members of ethnic/religious minorities, and why did they agree to leave? Was it because they, too, were facing dismissal?
Fact: Between 2000-2006, the Employment Tribunal cases of A. Oldfield (Hungarian), Dr B (Greek/Jewish), H. Fredrics (American/Jewish), L. Fredrics (American/Jewish) and A. Dutt (Asian) v Kingston University ALL involved staff members who were of non-British and/or Jewish origin.
What does this suggest to YOU about Kingston University's committment to promoting mutual understanding among people from diverse backgrounds?
• Statistics on Grievances and Dismissals at Kingston University - 1998-2008 (Excel format .XLS Spreadsheet)
The above statistics reveal that of the 36 grievances filed since 2005 alone, 13 were upheld at the initial level of the Personnel Director. Of those 13 which were upheld, 11 represent a single collective grievance against Dr Howard Fredrics that was treated by the University as 11 individual grievances. Of those which were not upheld, 12 were appealed to the level of the Vice-Chancellor.
NONE of these appeals were upheld (save one, which was partially upheld, but without remedy)The above statistics also reveal that of the 12 denied at the level of the Vice-Chancellor, 8 were then appealed to the level of the Board of Governors.
NONE of these appeals were upheld.
Of the many staff members launching grievances SINCE 1998, which were appealed past the level of Personnel Director to the Vice-Chancellor and/or Board of Governors, only 2 staff members remain employed by the University.
How many grievances were actually filed since 1998? (the University has refused to provide this information.)
What happened to all of these employees who appealed their grievances?
Did they all leave on their own free will, or were they forced out or dismissed?
FACT: Kingston University
Has Been Found Guilty
of Misconduct Towards Its Workers
Kingston loses tribunal
Times Higher Education Supplement
20 October 2000
by Phil Baty
Kingston University dismissed senior lecturer Agi Oldfield unfairly, giving her an ultimatum to "resign or be sacked" after she made informal complaints of harassment against her line manager and complained about breaches of her contract, a tribunal has ruled.
Ms Oldfield, a principal lecturer at the school of human resources management, resigned from Kingston, but the South London tribunal ruled that she was constructively dismissed. The university "repudiated" her contract by giving her the ultimatum, said the tribunal chair, Mr I. S. Lamb, in his judgment.
In late 1997, Ms Oldfield complained orally to David Miles, dean of the business faculty, saying she felt harassed and bullied by her line manager, Christine Edwards, who had questioned Ms Oldfield's competence.
The tribunal did not adjudicate on the allegations and counter-allegations between Ms Oldfield and Professor Edwards, but found that the difficulties were handled badly, at the expense of Ms Oldfield's career.
The university repeatedly asked Ms Oldfield to withdraw her allegations, she was assigned a new line manager and removed as an MA course director. In June 1998, Ms Oldfield brought a formal grievance, saying she had been "summarily removed" as course director of an MA in breach of her contract.
"The considerations of the continued employment of Ms OldfieldI her role and job title, responsibilities and pursuit or withdrawal of the allegations against Professor Edwards, wereI overlapping with each other," said Mr Lamb in his written judgment.
During the grievance hearing Ms Oldfield was told by personnel director Elizabeth Lanchbery - criticised by the tribunal for being "underhand" - that if the issues could not be resolved, Ms Oldfield might have to be "sacked", Mr Lamb said. Ms Oldfield's grievance was rejected and rejected again at appeal by vice-chancellor Peter Scott.
In October 1998, Ms Oldfield was offered a job at Surrey University, despite an "unfavourable verbal reference from somebody at Kingston", the tribunal said. "By then, Ms Lanchbery had said to Ms Oldfield that it would be best if she accepted the position, because unless she resigned, she would be sacked," said the judgment.
Mr Lamb said: "Up to September (when the job at Surrey came up) Ms Oldfield was pursuing the internal grievance procedure. As she did so, there was a gradually deteriorating background state of affairs relating to her relationship with Christine Edwards, in particular the factor that Christine Edwards questioned her competence.
"(Ms Oldfield) was constantly told to withdraw her allegations, although she was not formally pursuing them... We accept the evidence that the final straw in the course of events was the statement by Ms Lanchbery that the applicant should resign or be sacked," he said.
The university believed "there had been a breakdown of relationships and that Ms Oldfield was behaving unreasonably", said Mr Lamb. "The university did not act reasonably in treating that as a sufficient reason for dismissal.
"What (Ms Oldfield) had done was to pursue the grievance procedures... as she was entitled to do. She was willing to record that she was not pursuing her complaints against Christine Edwards. The university's responsibility in that situation was to find her alternative responsibilities commensurate with her position as a principal lecturer. Instead it adopted the 'take it or leave it' attitude...
"We accept that the effective cause of her resignation was the breach of contract by the (university) and the outright repudiation of her contract by the ultimatum."
The tribunal decided unanimously that Ms Oldfield's complaint of unfair dismissal was "well-founded".
A remedies hearing will be held next month. The university said it could not comment until the case was finished.
FACT: Profs Diana Winstanley and Jean Woodall
won cases for Sex Discrimination
against Kingston University
Newly obtained information shows that Prof Winstanley, who was later allegedly found to have committed suicide due to workplace stress, and Prof Woodall had lodged complaints for Sexual Discrimination and both won claims against the University at an Employment Tribunal.
Further details of this case will be posted on this site in the VERY near future!