Day 118 - 01 May 95 - Page 75
1 that kind we would advise them on it. There is a loan
2 scheme they can avail themselves of.
3
4 Q. But is that done as a kind of -- is a manager or -----
5
6 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where are we going on this now?
7
8 MR. MORRIS: It is not -----
9
10 MR. JUSTICE BELL: You have got some areas to cover under
11 employment anyway.
12
13 MR. MORRIS: It is relevant but it is not a great -----
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: It seems to me it is just another area where
16 you are testing whether McDonald's are sympathetic
17 employers or not, but that is far too general in this case
18 where you have under employment wages, you have hours, you
19 have complaint procedures, you have got the extent to which
20 benefits may compensate for what you say are low wages; you
21 have attitude to trade unions, attitudes to young people,
22 whether they take advantage of black people and women who
23 may, you suggested, be disadvantage on the market; you have
24 high turnover which you suggest shows that the conditions
25 at McDonald's are not that hot and you have health and so
26 forth.
27
28 That is quite enough to be getting on with without looking
29 for new pastures.
30
31 MR. MORRIS: It is relevant to one of those issues.
32
33 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Well, tell me which one?
34
35 MR. MORRIS: Is it possible to ask the witness to leave the
36 witness box?
37
38 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, not for something like this. Is far too
39 heavy handed to bother with that.
40
41 MR. MORRIS: I want to know if McDonald's staff get help in the
42 claiming of benefits generally, such as housing benefit or
43 family credit.
44
45 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What has that got to do with an issue arising
46 out of this leaflet?
47
48 MR. MORRIS: It is unfair for me to give the answer because
49 I want the witness to -----
50
51 MR. JUSTICE BELL: In that case you must move on to something
52 else. You have all those things to deal with.
53
54 MR. MORRIS: Well, if it is found that -----
55
56 MR. JUSTICE BELL: There is no need to be secretive about it
57 because you should give notice of every area of combat,
58 save in so far as you are challenging the credit of the
59 individual witness when you are entitled to come without
60 warning, but otherwise the nature of your case should be
