Board members protest against grounds for professor dismissal

Staff representatives on the Universityof Copenhagen’s Board of Directors note that management has carried out a dismissal on the basis of a justification that poses a serious threat to the fundamental values of this University as a research institution, including the trust between management and staff.

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Many employees at UCPH have expressed concern about their jobs and security. We do not address with this statement the aspects of the dismissal which only concern this particular personnel case, but the justifications for it.

As the case was originally formulated, there were two main justifications. One was about the use of a private e-mail account to discuss official business. The second concerns an e-mail to a fellow staff member that points out that you do not need to be too friendly towards management in a workplace assessment survey (APV).

“What remains is the impression that employees that somehow irritate management, run the risk of being dismissed without any real justification needed. Is this really a signal that the University of Copenhagen wishes to send out internally, nationally and internationally?”

A revised version adds a further justification. But this however, concerns events after the dismissal case was set in motion – and cannot therefore be the real justification.

Using these justifications the University could lay off a significant percentage of permanent staff, including all who in specific cases voiced criticism of specific management actions.

What remains is the impression that employees that somehow irritate management, run the risk of being dismissed without any real justification needed. Is this really a signal that the University of Copenhagen wishes to send out internally, nationally and internationally?”

uni-avis@adm.ku.dk