Day 121 - 04 May 95 - Page 22
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2 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not sure -----
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4 MR. MORRIS: I cannot remember.
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6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not sure he has accepted anything is
7 inappropriate, except for the 50 hours, if that was
8 happening on more than exceptional occasions?
9 A. That is the only one that surprises me.
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11 MR. MORRIS: Whatever, we can go back over it another time. In
12 your opinion, the practices as we have looked at ---
13 A. Do not concern me.
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15 Q. -- do not concern you, and if they were happening in all
16 the stores in the country it would not concern you?
17 A. It would not concern me.
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19 Q. Apart from the 50 hours?
20 A. I am surprised at the 50 hours.
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22 Q. Right. Do you think there was room for improvement at that
23 store?
24 A. No, there is not enough in here to tell me what the
25 store is being run like. He has dealt with specific
26 problems, and I am not surprised, and I have no objection
27 to the way they apparently have been dealt with. I mean,
28 even him saying they work 50 hours, I would accept there
29 were reasons for it. I am surprised that anyone was asked
30 to work 50 hours.
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32 Q. So?
33 A. But nothing in there says to me there is anything wrong
34 in that store or that store management.
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36 Q. So those kind of things then are happening, are they,
37 throughout most stores?
38 A. I do not know what you are talking about. What kind of
39 things?
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41 Q. Breaks being shortened; people being sent home before they
42 are scheduled?
43 A. He said it was extremely rare and mostly concerned
44 floor managers. That does not concern me.
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46 Q. People being sent home?
47 A. He said that was very rare. That does not concern me.
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49 Q. But people being asked to stay on after their scheduling?
50 A. Again he said that was very rare. That does not
51 concern me because I know it happens and is normally dealt
52 with by volunteers, people who want to work overtime. That
53 does not concern me.
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55 Q. Colchester in 1987, are you aware, was voted Store of the
56 Year?
57 A. I read that in his statement. I did not know.
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59 Q. So -----
60 A. I probably knew in 1987 but I have forgotten now.
