Day 208 - 24 Jan 96 - Page 21


     
     1        of complaint in the way he has just hinted at.
     2
     3   MS. STEEL:  Right.  Except that lack of complaints or lack of
     4        records of complaints might be because nobody bothered to
     5        write it down; whereas if someone wrote it down -----
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Absolutely.  There are all sorts of comments
     8        you could make; or you could say that people in the store
     9        are so in awe of Managers they do not complain anyway.
    10        Then one has to consider all those comments and come to
    11        some kind of conclusion, if it is relevant or pertinent.
    12
    13   MS. STEEL:  OK.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  But, reflecting on it out loud, lack of
    16        complaint might be (depending on all the circumstances) a
    17        point which one is entitled to take into account.
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  I mean, lack of complaint may in itself, if
    20        something is established is happening such as performance
    21        reviews, you know, being out of date regularly or
    22        something, if you believe that has been established or
    23        whatever, and there are few complaints about it, that in
    24        itself can be a criticism of the Company that they are
    25        creating an atmosphere where people are frightened to speak
    26        out.
    27
    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is another demonstration of really what
    29        I have been saying.
    30
    31   MS. STEEL (To the witness):  Did you used to read the rap
    32        session notes when they came back?
    33        A.  There used to be a copy on the crew room notice board
    34        and one on the Manager's notice board in the Manager's
    35        office, so it was available to anyone to read.
    36
    37   Q.   Right.  But did you used to read them?
    38        A.  If I was on a break and I had nothing else to do, then
    39        yes.
    40
    41   Q.   It was not something that you thought was worth taking your
    42        time over, then?
    43        A.  It would be an anonymous -- it is difficult for anyone
    44        to work out problems such as the schedule, because they do
    45        not know who said it, they do not know who is being abused;
    46        they just know it has happened to somebody.
    47
    48   Q.   Crew were paid for attending rap sessions, were they not,
    49        so people would know who attended them; and you said that
    50        everyone talked about it before they went in, anyway? 
    51        A.  Yes.  But you still do not know who made the actual 
    52        comment at the rap session.  It could be any one of the 
    53        nine people, or the six people, or however many went.
    54
    55   Q.   If you just go to page 221, please, in file 1, in the rap
    56        session notes.  The bottom question is: "What do you think
    57        are the main reasons why crew leave McDonald's?"  It
    58        says: "Pressured environment."  Did you read these notes,
    59        do you remember?
    60        A.  Probably not.

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