Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 28


     
     1        rate down; the Company did not want a high turnover rate?
     2        A.  No, it certainly does not.
     3
     4   Q.   The national figure now is something like 120 per cent, if
     5        we can believe the computer printout.  You say the Company
     6        did not want to have a high turnover rate.  Did you ever
     7        see any memos to this effect, or was there any general
     8        discussion amongst management, that "this is something we
     9        should bring down"?
    10        A.  Oh, yes, definitely.  I can only speak for the Midlands
    11        region, but there was a concerted effort over two or three
    12        years to make efforts to bring the turnover down, and the
    13        turnover figures for the region were posted out on a
    14        monthly basis so that Managers had the information there
    15        for their particular restaurant and how they fared compared
    16        with other restaurants, and their definite aim was to bring
    17        the turnover down.
    18
    19   Q.   What years were they?  Do you remember this?
    20        A.  About five years ago.  That is not to say there was not
    21        efforts before that, but I remember there was particularly
    22        concerted effort five years ago, and it is always
    23        maintained as fairly high up the agenda.  It is something
    24        that a manager would be, sort of, form part of how -----
    25
    26   Q.   It is in the store audit, is it not, about turnover
    27        figures, percentages?  I think we saw it on the front page
    28        somewhere.
    29        A.  It was on the personnel audit, I believe, but, you
    30        know, because the figures come out on a fairly regular
    31        basis, then that does tend to sort of focus the Manager's
    32        mind on the matter.
    33
    34   MS. STEEL:   On crew uniforms, they have to return them at the
    35        end of their employment, do they not?
    36        A.  Yes, preferably.
    37
    38   Q.   Are they then reused or are they thrown away?
    39        A.  Reused, unless they are in such a condition that they
    40        are not able to be reused.
    41
    42   Q.   So there is not any expense with regards to turnover for
    43        crew uniforms because they are just reused by the next
    44        employee that comes along?
    45        A.  Well, the problem is they do not necessarily bring them
    46        back.
    47
    48   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I think you said that.
    49
    50   MS. STEEL:  Yes, if they do not bring them, you do not give them 
    51        their last pay cheque, do you?  That is a condition of them 
    52        getting their last pay cheque? 
    53        A.  No.  I believe that has been operated in some
    54        restaurants as a system for getting the uniform back, but
    55        I believe now it is not a common practice, if at all.
    56
    57   Q.   In the Crew Handbook of 1989 it says:  "If you cease
    58        employment at McDonald's you must return the uniform or
    59        uniforms before receiving your last pay slip and P45 from
    60        the restaurant".  That is correct, is it not?

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