Day 202 - 11 Jan 96 - Page 30


     
     1        dropped.  Therefore, I was less concerned about the numbers
     2        being beneath what we were set.
     3
     4   Q.   So, sales volume in Ipswich was dropping at that time, was
     5        it, then?
     6        A.  I am simply reading what is there.  It says: "When the
     7        above targets were set, neither of us foresaw such a
     8        drastic drop in volume than 203 or so."
     9
    10   Q.   Why did you not take the same action against Ipswich that
    11        you say concerned you with Colchester?
    12        A.  What action are you talking about?
    13
    14   Q.   Did you have sales dropping at Ipswich, turnover
    15        increasing?
    16        A.  What action are you talking about here, sorry?
    17
    18   Q.   Pardon?
    19        A.  What action are you talking about here?  You said why
    20        did I not take the same action.  I do not know what you
    21        mean.
    22
    23   Q.   Did you have special meetings with the management at
    24        Ipswich?
    25        A.  Over what?
    26
    27   Q.   Over some of their poor figures?
    28        A.  Which poor figures are they?
    29
    30   Q.   Increasing turnover, when you are meant to be cutting 25
    31        per cent according to targets set by Andrew Taylor?
    32        A.  As I said before, all this is -- with respect, this is
    33        perspective (sic).  If you look at the 141 turnover at 272,
    34        245 and 288, and look at Ipswich at 173, 206 over 194, a
    35        responsible Manager looking at those figures, to assess
    36        which store had the greater problem, it would be pretty
    37        stupid to think you had a major problem in Ipswich when it
    38        is staring you right there in the face that Colchester is
    39        operating a turnover at a much higher level; thereby, there
    40        are problems that we need to address.
    41
    42   Q.   Right.  Can I ask you one question, something that has come
    43        up that I was not aware of before.  On page 3, it says at
    44        the bottom of page 3, it says that unconfirmed employees
    45        were, in Ipswich, 43, Colchester 42, Bury 29.
    46        A.  Indeed.
    47
    48   Q.   What are unconfirmed employees?
    49        A.  My recollection of that -- I cannot be 100 per cent
    50        sure -- is that when you hire a crew member, there is 
    51        documentation that is filled in, application forms, 
    52        et cetera, which are then sent to the personnel department 
    53        and they confirm them.  An unconfirmed employee thereby is
    54        an employee that has been hired and yet the documentation
    55        has not yet been received in Head Office for them.
    56
    57   Q.   Right.  I am just thinking about where to go.  We have not
    58        got that much more.
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Sit down, if you wish, Mr. Atherton.

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