Day 202 - 11 Jan 96 - Page 18


     
     1        situation where it was clear that Mr. Coton was saying he
     2        was being victimised and the Company was taking a different
     3        stand.  I have to say that is not what I have got from the
     4        evidence so far, even Mr. Coton's evidence.  It may be that
     5        you are now putting that he was victimised.
     6
     7        What I suggest is, you must not put it on a hypothetical
     8        basis which comes with the wisdom of hindsight.  You must
     9        ask the witness how he saw the meeting at that time and
    10        then ask him, in those circumstances, why was not a written
    11        record or report of the meeting made; and then, when we
    12        have heard Mr. Atherton's answer, if you do not like it,
    13        you can test him about that.
    14
    15   MR. MORRIS:  Why was no report in your evidence from this series
    16        of meetings made?
    17        A.  I think if at the time there were allegations about
    18        victimisation and personality clashes and all the litany of
    19        things that you preceded that question with, then it would
    20        have been a different meeting that ensued; so we would have
    21        to have taken notes, because we were dealing with a
    22        different issue.  The issue we were dealing with -- and we
    23        did not know Ray was going to leave the Company at that
    24        time, so we cannot assume that -- was that simply Ray was
    25        having difficulties; we were not happy with the way the
    26        restaurant was running.  There was an ongoing dialogue to
    27        try and resolve these things.  Neil would have obviously
    28        spoken to him a number of times before PR pointed these
    29        things out.  There was no real reason to take notes of it.
    30        You know, the relationship between myself and Ray was fine,
    31        it was open.  We, you know, could talk -- felt we could
    32        talk about things.  I certainly felt that way.  At that
    33        time, until I read all the stuff that he was doing when he
    34        was in the restaurant, I would have thought he felt the
    35        same.
    36
    37   Q.   Are you saying, therefore, that after his resignation, many
    38        meetings after that, they would be have been reported?
    39        A.  No, I am talking about ------
    40
    41   Q.   When did you realise it was a serious situation, that it
    42        involves disgruntlement and -----
    43        A.  What I was talking about there was in January 1996,
    44        looking back on this, rather than after his resignation.
    45
    46   Q.   Yes.  But you said that the reason there is no report is
    47        because it was all very, you know, informal and chatty, and
    48        you did not realise at that stage that -----
    49        A.  It was a serious meeting conducted, you know, very
    50        professionally, speaking like two adults, one to another, 
    51        over important matters that involved Ray's career. 
    52 
    53   Q.   Yes.
    54        A.  The outcome -----
    55
    56   Q.   So, you did not make any report of it?
    57        A.  No, because I knew what happened.
    58
    59   Q.   Where, for example, the Manager's point of view might be
    60        listed?

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