Day 152 - 11 Jul 95 - Page 56


     
     1
     2   Q.   While you were at Colchester did you notice any significant
     3        signs of discord, discontent or dissatisfaction amongst the
     4        crew?
     5        A.  Any signs?
     6
     7   Q.   Yes, any significant signs; obviously you are going to get
     8        the odd person who grumbles, but you can understand that.
     9        A.  No.  Generally, I would say the crew members as a whole
    10        were very happy in Colchester whilst I was there.
    11
    12   Q.   Was it a nice place to work?
    13        A.  Yes, I felt there was a good team spirit in the
    14        restaurant and everybody pulled together and seemed
    15        relatively happy.
    16
    17   Q.   What do you know about a group that, I think, called
    18        themselves (or say they did) the McDonald's Freedom
    19        Fighters?  Does that ring any bells?
    20        A.  Yes, I believe this started initially when one night
    21        there was about 15 skinheads.  First of all, one skinhead
    22        came into the restaurant and hit the person on the till; he
    23        then went out, came back into the restaurant, jumped on to
    24        the counter and kicked or went to kick the crew member on
    25        the till.
    26
    27   Q.   Do you remember the name of the crew member?
    28        A.  John McArthy.  I managed to grab the skinhead who was
    29        on the counter around the ankles and he fell off the
    30        counter.  It was proceeded by 14 or 15 skinheads come
    31        rushing into the restaurant, then jumped over the counter
    32        and started to, sort of, knock about the crew members who
    33        were on the shift that night.
    34
    35        The four crew members who professed to be the McDonald's
    36        Freedom Fighters, sort of, set it up from that moment and
    37        it was a, sort of, a bit of a joke, both amongst themselves
    38        and amongst the management team.  I mean, they did carry it
    39        a little bit too far for a sort of jovial sort of joke, and
    40        that was it.  It probably lasted, I do not know, two or
    41        three days to a week; something like that.
    42
    43   Q.   On that account, Mr. Davis, the Freedom Fighters were
    44        nothing whatever to do with workers' rights or trade
    45        unions?
    46        A.  Certainly not, no, as I remember it.
    47
    48   Q.   Do you remember anything while you were there about
    49        workers' rights or trade unions in any sort of collective
    50        or organised way? 
    51        A.  No, not in any collective or organised way. 
    52 
    53   MS. STEEL:  Can I just say that none of what Mr. Davis has just
    54        said about the McDonald's Freedom Fighters was in his
    55        statement.  So we have not had any notice of that
    56        whatsoever.
    57
    58   MR. RAMPTON:  That is absolutely right.  (To the witness):
    59        Mr. Davis, when did you remember about the McDonald's
    60        Freedom Fighters?

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