Day 121 - 04 May 95 - Page 26
1 we cannot make a deduction from their wages without their
2 agreement.
3
4 Q. That would be illegal, would it?
5 A. Yes.
6
7 Q. Apart from things that are illegal, are there any ---
8 A. I cannot think.
9
10 Q. -- specific things?
11 A. No, I cannot, and I am not even going to try.
12
13 MS. STEEL: While we are on the subject of full-time crew,
14 McDonald's does not call them full-time crew, do they, they
15 call them fully flexible crew?
16 A. They are referred to in both ways, both fully flexible
17 and full-time.
18
19 Q. Are they referred to as fully flexible, basically they say:
20 "I can work whatever hours" rather than: "I can only work
21 a few hours"?
22 A. When they say "fully flexible" they have indicated they
23 are prepared to work any hours we ask them to work. Again,
24 you have got to accept that there are some reasons.
25
26 Q. What are the reasons?
27 A. There has to be reason in that; people have to be
28 reasonable.
29
30 Q. Who, the crew or the management?
31 A. Both.
32
33 MR. MORRIS: Are you not concerned with this great imbalance of
34 power in your so-called family, where the management seems
35 to have powers to cut hours and extend hours when someone
36 is working there, to schedule the number of hours in a week
37 they wish to, all the other matters -----
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Stop that question and put it in another way
40 which is not really a speech on your part. Ask him if he
41 thinks there is a great imbalance between the powers of
42 salaried managers and the rights of whatever level of
43 hourly pay crew.
44
45 THE WITNESS: No. I am not concerned.
46
47 MR. MORRIS: You are happy with that imbalance of power?
48 A. I am happy with the situation. There is no imbalance
49 of power. Managers are there to manage, crew are there to
50 perform tasks.
51
52 Q. The crew are there to obey?
53 A. No, no, no.
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You see, if I may say so, I think we have now
56 got bogged down in what is, essentially, comment. What you
57 are looking for is the foundation of fact for the comment
58 you want to make. When you ask Mr. Nicholson: "Does that
59 not that concern you?" I am not going to stop you asking
60 him that because I realise that you can say the attitude of
