Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 40
1 Q. Is there section on the notice board which is not devoted
2 to the company's business?
3 A. Yes. There is a little square there where the
4 management will advise the crew people of a dance or a
5 party or an outing, that kind of thing.
6
7 Q. What about trying to organise a football team?
8 A. Or trying to organise a football team.
9
10 Q. What about trying to organise membership of a trade union?
11 A. No. We do not allow anything to do with trade
12 unions -- nothing to do with anything that is political or
13 religious or anything like that. That part of the notice
14 board is for social events.
15
16 Q. Then it says at (g): "The telephone is for the business
17 purposes. However, if you have to make a personal call
18 please consult the manager on duty. Keep your family
19 informed of your restaurant telephone number." So that is
20 another case where if you want to make a personal or
21 outside call you have to ask the managers?
22 A. Indeed.
23
24 Q. Look down the page please at (k) near the bottom: "Crew or
25 outside persons cannot seek custom, money or subscriptions
26 or distribute literature in the restaurant. Please tell
27 your manager if you see this happening." Does that cover
28 simply attempts to recruit for unions inside restaurants or
29 does it cover a variety of things?
30 A. Oh, a variety of things. It could be anything.
31
32 Q. So, if I came in with perfectly good intentions trying to
33 correct for charity, what then?
34 A. No. I think most managers would ask you not to do it.
35
36 Q. They would not?
37 A. Yes.
38
39 Q. What about (i) "You cannot use the restaurant for your
40 external interest or commercial purposes"?
41 A. That is right.
42
43 Q. That you is a blanket prohibition?
44 A. Absolute blanket prohibition. The restaurant is there
45 for them to work in.
46
47 Q. It is there for them to work in. You have probably
48 answered my next question but I will ask it just the same.
49 Is there any sense in which these provisions are
50 principally directed at preventing union recruitment of
51 your staff?
52 A. Not at all. Unions do not rate that high in our
53 concern.
54
55 Q. Well, that was going to be my next question. Why not? Why
56 do unions not rate that high in your concern?
57 A. Because no one amongst our crew has shown any real
58 interest in trade unions.
59
60 Q. Have you ever had anything like a petitioning from all
