MMU UCU - Open Letter on "Insubordination"

  • Author:
    n/a
  • Send To:
    Vice Chancellor Professor John Brooks
  • Sponsored By:
  • More Info at:
Are you the Author?
We are writing to express our grave concern at the recent use of the charge of insubordination against a member of staff in the Institute of Education. Insubordination is an explicitly militaristic term which refers to an express and unquestioning obedience to orders given by a superior. It has no place whatsoever in a university. This is a place of learning, education, enquiry and collaboration, where militaristic models of obedience and chain of command are neither appropriate nor welcome.

We note that there is no reference to insubordination in the MMU Discipline Policy and are writing to obtain assurances that management and HR at MMU are committed to developing an approach to disciplinary issues with due regard for the published procedures and in keeping with appropriate terms of reference. We would urge you to confirm that militaristic models of discipline and authority have no place in a university.

132 Signatures

  • Stewart Smyth
    • Department / Faculty
    • A & F, MMUBS
  • Walter Cairns
    • Department / Faculty
    • Law
    • Comments
    • This is by far the most shocking disciplinary case I have ever encountered in all my years of University employment
  • Bob Askew
    • Department / Faculty
    • Economics, HLSS
  • Brian Peat
    • Department / Faculty
    • CfE/ MMUBS
  • Christine Vie
    • Department / Faculty
    • Combined Honours & Foundation Studies
    • Comments
    • В
  • Peter Hick
    • Department / Faculty
    • Institute of Education
  • Pura Ariza
    • Department / Faculty
    • Education
    • Comments
    • What type of university is it that follows a militaristic disciplinary code? The use of this term is truly shocking.
  • Julie Ryan
    • Department / Faculty
    • Institute of Education
    • Comments
    • We are colleagues, not subordinates.
  • Helen Bowman
    • Department / Faculty
    • Art & Design
  • Paul Brook
    • Department / Faculty
    • Business School
  • Elke Pioch
    • Department / Faculty
    • Business School
  • Michael Loughlin
    • Department / Faculty
    • IDS / MMUC
  • Dominique Lauterburg
    • Department / Faculty
    • School of Law
  • Pat Ayers
    • Department / Faculty
    • History and Economic History
  • Keith Gibbard
    • Department / Faculty
    • Economics
  • Alan Jones
    • Department / Faculty
    • art design
  • Elizabeth Kealy-Morris
    • Department / Faculty
    • Art & Design
  • Darren Chadwick
    • Department / Faculty
    • Psychology & Social Change
  • Scott Poynting
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology/HLSS
    • Comments
    • В
  • John Gaffney
    • Department / Faculty
    • Science and Engineering
    • Comments
    • В
  • john stirling
    • Department / Faculty
    • psych and social change
  • Kate Kirk
    • Department / Faculty
    • SAS
    • Comments
    • This kind of thing has an adverse effect on colleagues who are pulling together to give students at MMU the best possible experience.
  • David Randall
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology
    • Comments
    • В
  • Joanne Massey
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology/HLSS
  • Michael McGarry
    • Department / Faculty
    • SAS / MMUC
  • julie marshall
    • Department / Faculty
    • Health psychology and social care
  • Chris Porter
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology
  • Helen Colley
    • Department / Faculty
    • Institute of Education
    • Comments
    • В
  • Martin Hancox
    • Department / Faculty
    • Computing and Mathematics
  • Paul McCormick
    • Department / Faculty
    • Health Science
  • Eileen Berrington
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology/HLSS
  • JENNIFER MAKUMBI
    • Department / Faculty
    • English
  • Howard N Hughes
    • Department / Faculty
    • SoBCHS in S&E
    • Comments
    • As a former member of HM Forces ( RAF,1972-1981) I am extremely concerned that the concept of 'insubordination' is even considered within an institute of higher education that is not formally aligned to MoD or any branch of HM Forces. It is totally inappropriate.
  • Olga Kuznetsova
    • Department / Faculty
    • MMUBS
    • Comments
    • В
  • Pete Phethean
    • Department / Faculty
    • Institute of Education
  • Carole Forbes
    • Department / Faculty
    • SEIB
  • Janet Batsleer
    • Department / Faculty
    • IOE
    • Comments
    • oh dear!
  • chris dawson
    • Department / Faculty
    • seib
    • Comments
    • I am incredulous that any manager could find this type of action to be of any benefit at all to the university. Rather than discipline the lecturer, the university should be addressing urgent training needs at Management and HR levels. The worst thing about this is we are all disappointed but few are surprised by this quality of decision making. Respect should be two-way and it has to be earned. I would urge the management to reflect, show leadership, renegotiate, and settle this now.
  • Jackie Brander Brown
    • Department / Faculty
    • MMUBS/Accounting + Finance
  • Helen Jones
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology/HLSS
  • Chris Allen
    • Department / Faculty
    • HLSS Sociology
  • Dave Whiteley
    • Department / Faculty
    • Computing and Maths
  • Paul Wake
    • Department / Faculty
    • English
    • Comments
    • В
  • Rachel English
    • Department / Faculty
    • Sociology
  • Chris Browning
    • Department / Faculty
    • library
  • Miriam Firth
    • Department / Faculty
    • Hollings
  • Brian Lund
    • Department / Faculty
    • Humanities, Law and Social Science
  • Francis Gomes
    • Department / Faculty
    • Hollings
  • David J. Tyler
    • Department / Faculty
    • Clothing Design & Technology / Hollings
  • Robin Johnson
    • Department / Faculty
    • MMUBS