Day 302 - 18 Nov 96 - Page 12


     
     1        expected."  Page 55 of that day, which I think is grossly
     2        insulting for him to say that and really means that the
     3        credibility of McDonald's witnesses that would say
     4        something like that, in terms of their value judgment or
     5        subjective judgment over some of the issues that have to be
     6        resolved, is questionable, because of that kind of
     7        statement.
     8
     9        Mr. Beavers is the Plaintiffs' lead witness and answered
    10        questions about the motive for the Plaintiffs, the first
    11        Plaintiffs, bringing the case, and that does throw doubt on
    12        their judgment as to what is low pay, what is or is not
    13        ecological damage and all the other matters, because they
    14        are completely unable to see the simplest common sense
    15        unfairness and therefore the right to criticise in those
    16        terms which they are considering libellous, but anybody
    17        else in the world would consider common sense.
    18
    19        That is not really to criticise him personally, because
    20        again it is just that they are so bound up in the
    21        McDonaldland that they create corporate mentality, they
    22        cannot really see the reality, the real reality.  He
    23        refused to reveal his own salary.  That was page 49 on that
    24        day.  He said "there were no hours guaranteed at
    25        McDonald's", and he comes on to that later -- that is on
    26        page 65 on that day -- and that 80 percent of the jobs were
    27        part time.  He explained how the company would "establish
    28        the labour percentage" for each store -- that was on day
    29        124, page 49.  The crew wages bill target as a percentage
    30        of the store sales, which he said was between about 15 and
    31        19 percent, that was on day 4, page 79 and day 124,
    32        page 50.  He recognised that in the US it would be illegal
    33        not to pay overtime for over 40 hours per week worked, and
    34        that -----
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   You meant to say day 124, did you, when you
    37         -----
    38
    39   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.
    40
    41   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is when he came back, is it?
    42
    43   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is just a bit confusing when he was day 4
    46        and 124.  Make sure you get them right.
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:   Yes.  I have, yes.  There were two references to
    49        day 124.  That was the 15 and 19 percent.  Also the labour
    50        percentage.  Shall I just say those again?   The 15 to 19
    51        percent was day 4, page 79 and day 124, page 50, and the
    52        company "establishing the labour percentage" was on day
    53        124, page 49.
    54
    55        He said it would be illegal in the US not to pay overtime
    56        for over 40 hours per week worked, which of course we would
    57        say is the same in this country, over 39 hours a week.
    58        McDonald's were illegally not paying for a number of
    59        years.  But, in any event, we have it from Mr. Beavers that
    60        it was illegal in the States, and that it was a fair law.

Prev Next Index