Day 072 - 12 Jan 95 - Page 62


     
     1
     2   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes.  What I took to lie behind Mr. Morris'
     3        questioning was this, that McDonald's are inclined whenever
     4        economic pressures dictate to sacrifice the interests of
     5        the staff to their own commercial interests.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The ethnic side had not occurred to me.
     8        Obviously the improvement, if such it was, in the
     9        performance of the store under Mr. Stump's management is
    10        relevant.
    11
    12   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, what I was driving at is this.  If
    13        Mr. Morris, and as it turns out without any foundation,
    14        were trying too paint a black picture through the questions
    15        he asked, then, in my submission, I am entitled to
    16        demonstrate, as Mr. Stump I think has just demonstrated,
    17        that, on the contrary, the picture is white in this
    18        respect, that so far from, as it were, damaging the
    19        interests of the employees, his stewardship of the Kings
    20        Road store has conferred a benefit, not just on the local
    21        community but upon employable persons at large because he
    22        is employing more of them, and that must mean though the
    23        proportions remain the same, also more of people from
    24        ethnic minorities.
    25
    26   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I would be minded to agree with everything
    27        except the ethnic.  The reason I draw a line before that is
    28        that I know the ethnic origin of McDonald's employees may
    29        play another part in the case which was neither touched on
    30        in-chief nor in cross-examination.
    31
    32   MR. RAMPTON:  I will leave the ethnic origin question on one
    33        side.
    34
    35   MS. STEEL:  Mr. Rampton has made an assertion that far from
    36        damaging the interests of the employees, Mr. Stump's
    37        stewardship of the Kings Road has conferred a benefit not
    38        just on the local community but upon employable persons at
    39        large.  That is based upon the assumption that a job at
    40        McDonald's is something that is worth having.
    41
    42   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  All this is comment in due course.  I would
    43        take no exception to any of Mr. Rampton's questions, except
    44        the ethnic origin one which is the point at which stood up
    45        anyway.  Let us go on.
    46
    47   MR. RAMPTON:  I will not go any further.  I would only make this
    48        observation, we know perfectly well there are some people
    49        who would not work for McDonald's if it were the last place
    50        on earth; some people would rather do nothing at all.  I 
    51        quite understand that. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I think we had better keep back on what is
    54        really relevant to the issues in this case.
    55
    56   MR. RAMPTON:  I quite agree.  (To the witness):  Can I ask you
    57        this, though, Mr. Stump, returning to what is after all
    58        quite a serious question which is whether you confer a
    59        benefit on the community and on your work force.  Have you
    60        during the time that you have been in charge of the Kings

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