Day 150 - 07 Jul 95 - Page 20


     
     1   Q.   Just while we are on that, I will just give you a
     2        hypothetical situation -- it probably does not happen in
     3        practice -- but if you have a crew member who has worked
     4        previously for you and is returning to work again with you,
     5        and you have got somebody who is starting absolutely afresh
     6        and the one who has worked for you before maybe has a 20p
     7        increase on the basic rate from last time, which person are
     8        you going to prefer to have working for you?  It is a
     9        difficult question?
    10        A.  No, no, but it is, to be honest, very common sensical,
    11        and that is to have the person who has been previously
    12        trained.
    13
    14   Q.   Why is that?
    15        A.  Because, to be honest, the time and effort that myself
    16        and the restaurant team have put into that person would be
    17        reflected in, to be honest, they could start the job
    18        straightaway, become proficient.  So, if anything, it is
    19        probably more efficient, looking at it as a business, to
    20        have the person coming in fully trained rather than to
    21        spend time and resources, both sort of financial and
    22        personal, in training that person up.  So, it may be short
    23        term but, as running a business and as a business person,
    24        it is far better to have somebody in who is trained to do
    25        the job.  Absolutely.
    26
    27   Q.   From your experience, and you have been a Manager now for
    28        over 10 years in operations?
    29        A.  Yes.
    30
    31   Q.   Is this system whereby people are paid at the rate they
    32        were getting before they left and then return, is it a
    33        system which, generally speaking, works well in practice?
    34        A.  Well, my experience is that it works very well in
    35        practice, both as a Restaurant Manager and as a Supervisor
    36        and continuing up within the operation structure.
    37
    38   Q.   Are you aware of a fair amount of complaints about its
    39        operation, generally speaking?
    40        A.  I have never received any complaint about somebody
    41        coming back on the outgoing rate in recognition of what
    42        their previous performance was about.
    43
    44   Q.   If you have to go and get the files, certainly in relation
    45        to another store ---?
    46        A.  Right.
    47
    48   Q.   -- in order to know what they were being paid before, what
    49        happens if -- it is over, I think, 3 years is about the
    50        period we have heard -- what happens if it is three years 
    51        or more and the file has been chucked out? 
    52        A.  Right. 
    53
    54   Q.   How on earth do you know then?
    55        A.  I would not know obviously, but I would hazard a
    56        calculated suggestion that in the three years the pay rate
    57        probably from the Company would have gone up anyway to mean
    58        that that person would be starting on a higher rate
    59        irrespective of their previous leaving rate.  Certainly
    60        three years, yes.

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