Dear Sisters and Brothers, Colleagues and Friends

The National Union of Journalists is calling for the reinstatement of Dr Rhetta Moran, trades unionist and senior research fellow renowned for her work with asylum seekers (Times Higher (21 October 2005), Manchester Evening News (27 February 2006)). She was sacked from Salford University in January 2005 after being removed from her leadership of the £600, 000 Salford RAPAR SRB5 research project about asylum issues. The project, that was being delivered by the charity RAPAR and that exposed the plight of asylum seekers in the north of England and proved uncomfortable for the political establishment (Observer, 12 February 2006).

So far at her Employment Tribunal (ET) where she is cross examining the university’s witnesses herself:

• Head of the School of Management, John Dobson, who is also president-elect of the Salford Branch of the higher education union the AUT, has admitted that the committee that decided to dismiss Rhetta did not involve the union at any stage (Salford Advertiser, 13 April 2006)
• Distinguished academic, Professor Chris Bryant has admitted that the committee who took the original decision to dismiss Rhetta, chaired by Pro Vice Chancellor Professor Peter Barrett, “couldn’t organise a piss up in a brewery“ (Salford Advertiser, 20 April 2006)
• It has been admitted by all the university’s witnesses who have taken the stand so far, that letters from Salford Primary Care Trust sent to the university with the knowledge of Pro Vice Chancellor James Powell that asked for university co-operation in Rhetta’s removal from the Salford RAPAR SRB5 project were circulated among the senior management involved in her dismissal
• A £200, 000 European Social Fund research grant that was awarded to Rhetta was sent back to the funders, after the university of Salford dismissed her, because without her “network and particular expertise... it would not be possible to deliver it“.
• Mature postgraduate part-time students have described how losing Rhetta as their supervisor either completely interrupted or completely stopped their studies that had been in development for up to six years

The EAT will reconvene at Alexandra House, 14-22 The Parsonage, Manchester M3 2JA. (Alexandra House is located directly behind Kendals on Deansgate.) on the following dates:

Monday 5 to Thursday 8 June inclusive Thursday 6 and Friday 7 July Thursday 17 and Friday 18 August

Your continued support and solidarity are important. The tribunal sessions run from 10am to 1pm, then from around 2pm to 5pm in the afternoon. Your attendance at any time would be greatly appreciated. You may wish to let us know if you intend to come in at any time by leaving a message on : 079109768282

Please email/ fax messages of support to the NUJ office in Manchester: nujmanchester@nuj.org.uk

Best wishes

Jeremy Dear, General Secretary, National Union of Journalists