Dear All
This is Roger Johnson's view of the saga (he sent this to me but I have checked that he is happy for me to forward it on).
Regards
Peter
-----Original Message----- From: Roger Johnson [mailto:rgj@dcs.bbk.ac.uk] Sent: 21 May 2003 09:37 To: Radford, Peter Subject: RE: The IFIP ED Saga
Dear Peter
The situation is really very simple so far I see it.
There was an argument between one of the members of EB and Plamen in the EB meeting following the Bilbao Council meeting. Klaus asked me to investigate it and instructed everyone that nothing more was to be said until I had reported. My view was that the argument was six of one, half a dozen of the other and that by the time I reported it would probably just be forgotten.
However, Plamen went back to the office and emailed Council about it. Klaus assumed he was still angry and reminded him of the EB decision to say nothing. Plamen responded with a further email to Council including a remark that he knew he was going against the President's instruction.
Klaus and I then drafted a short memorandum which we asked Plamen to sign saying that he apologised for disobeying EB's instruction, agreeing that (as it says in his job description) that he would comply with instructions from the President in the future and finally it bound both Plamen and EB to keep the whole matter private. We gave Plamen about 5 days to sign but he did not do so. We then went to Vienna to see him and asked him if he would now sign but he declined. Instead he proposed that an "amicable settlement" be negotiated. We made him an offer of 6 months salary and he asked for a week to respond.
We went back a week later and after checking that he still wanted to leave IFIP we started to try to negotiate with him. We repeated our earlier offer and his response was to ask for what Klaus estimated to be 250,000 euro. We said that was out of the question (that would be about 4 years salary). When he refused to negotiate or to give us the undertaking to work in accordance with his job description, Klaus had no alternative but to terminate his work for IFIP in accordance with his contract.
Klaus then put the matter into the hands of the Austrian Academy of Sciences (who formally employ Plamen for IFIP) who are progressing the matter under Austrian law.
That is just about the whole story. There is a bit of mud flying round about the rights and wrongs of the original disagreement with Plamen but that was NOT the reason Plamen's work was ended nor was it because of an argument with Klaus who was just a bystander to the argument.
I hope this helps. It is really a very simple story albeit a sad one.
Good wishes
Roger
-----Original Message----- From: Radford, Peter [mailto:Peter.Radford@logicacmg.com] Sent: 20 May 2003 12:05 To: 'r.johnson@bcs.org.uk' Subject: The IFIP ED Saga
Roger
I've just come back from the latest IFIP TC6 meeting. Some time was spent discussing the saga of the IFIP Executive Board and the IFIP Executive Director. (A "motion of concern" was agreed, which Augusto Casaca should be passing on once he gets back to base.)
We saw Klaus Brunnstein's most recent e-mail and had some input from Dipak Khakhar. I think there was a feeling, still, among some of the TC6 delegates that we did not have all the facts. Is there anything you can add to the story? (Or would you rather adhere to "least said soonest mended"?)
Regards
Peter
Peter Radford UK Representative to IFIP Technical Committee 6
T: +44(0)20 7446 1281 E: Peter.Radford@LogicaCMG.com
This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.
This e-mail and any attachment is for authorised use by the intended recipient(s) only. It may contain proprietary material, confidential information and/or be subject to legal privilege. It should not be copied, disclosed to, retained or used by, any other party. If you are not an intended recipient then please promptly delete this e-mail and any attachment and all copies and inform the sender. Thank you.