Day 138 - 20 Jun 95 - Page 30


     
     1        to be dismissed?
     2        A.  That is correct.
     3
     4   Q.   What was your reaction to the finding or the ruling, or
     5        whatever it was, by the Madrid labour court?
     6        A.  If I can -- let me -- when I spoke with him by phone
     7        and received the response that I mentioned to you, I was
     8        not satisfied with that response, so I then got on an
     9        aeroplane and flew to Spain and met with him.  Fortunately,
    10        in the intervening period the labour court, the Madrid
    11        labour court, had rendered their decision, and so when
    12        I spoke with Mr. Mira he had their decision.  He
    13        acknowledged that -- I advised him he should change
    14        lawyers, frankly, and he agreed that he would reinstate
    15        them, and which he did.
    16
    17   Q.   After they were reinstated were there, what I might call,
    18        unionisation elections?
    19        A.  Absolutely, yes, there were.
    20
    21   Q.   What was the result of that?
    22        A.  Committees were elected in each of our stores.
    23
    24   Q.   Did the Company do anything -- the Company we are concerned
    25        with, McDonald's -- did McDonald's Corporation do anything
    26        to inhibit, interfere with or express disapproval of those
    27        elections or their result?
    28        A.  Not at all, sir.
    29
    30   Q.   Is that Madrid restaurant still organised in this sense,
    31        that there are committees?
    32        A.  Yes, it is and so are the other restaurants as well.
    33
    34   Q.   The other restaurants, there are others, are there?
    35        A.  Yes, there are several others.  At that time there were
    36        eight, I believe, and all of them had elections at that
    37        time.  All of them chose committees and all of those
    38        committees still are in existence.
    39
    40   Q.   So far as you, the Company, the Corporation, were and are
    41        concerned, was that a satisfactory result of this affair?
    42        A.  Absolutely.  If the employees wished to have an
    43        election to form committees, then that is what should
    44        happen.
    45
    46   Q.   Mr. Stein, back across the Atlantic to Puerto Rico.  My
    47        Lord, this is page 10, (iv), of the statement, passages 43
    48        and 107 of the Abstract.  There was a background to this,
    49        I think, Mr. Stein, which occurred at a time when you were
    50        not at McDonald's? 
    51        A.  Correct. 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  Can I just get the relevant pages?
    54
    55   MR. RAMPTON:  The first allegation, Mr. Stein, or it is
    56        expressed first time round in this way:  "In Puerto Rico in
    57        the mid 1960s McDonald's franchisees were sold to a new
    58        franchiser who refused to recognise trade unions.  A
    59        dispute followed and all branches of McDonald's were
    60        closed".  Then if one goes on to 107 which, my Lord, is on

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