Day 181 - 01 Nov 95 - Page 15
1 A. Secondly, the raft of Wages Council provisions, many of
2 them are hours related; clearly, access to overtime, amount
3 of ---
4
5 Q. Yes, I do not think that ---
6 A. -- annual leave.
7
8 Q. -- that is so much, but ones which -----
9 A. Annual leave.
10
11 Q. We have one here, possibly, guaranteed payments?
12 A. Guaranteed payments, annual leave. Annual leave is set
13 out in part 3 of the order.
14
15 MR. MORRIS: Sorry, what page is that?
16
17 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I have to say that I am not so much
18 interested in that, because I understand that the less
19 hours you work, the less holiday pay entitlement you have,
20 the less money you get paid for each week, the less
21 opportunity there is to bring yourself into an overtime
22 rate; things of that kind are obvious. It is ones like,
23 for instance, I had not taken on board the guaranteed
24 payment distinction. Are there any others like that, any
25 ones which might be hidden from the ordinary layman's view?
26 A. Well, the consequence of variable hours is a problem
27 for part-timers, for an employee seeking to establish -- a
28 part-time employee, perhaps with other responsibilities --
29 seeking to establish a regular income, albeit part-time.
30
31 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. I think, Ms. Steel, I can judge all
32 that for myself, because for some people there may be a
33 very considerable advantage in having variable hours; for
34 another person, it might be a very real disadvantage.
35
36 MS. STEEL: Perhaps if there was some guarantee in the
37 variety.
38
39 (To the witness): Are there any kind of major differences
40 between full-time and part-time workers' rights that might
41 be important to mention?
42 A. Talking about this period of time, then you get into
43 areas such at maternity leave; and I just cannot remember
44 the details existent at that time. But that was one issue.
45
46 Q. They were different, the rights were different for full-
47 and part-time workers?
48 A. Yes, but I have to rack my brains to kind of define it
49 for you. It was just an issue.
50
51 Q. Just to clarify something, because a minute ago you said
52 the mid-80s, but I thought yesterday you said that in terms
53 of the one about five and two years' service respectively
54 for part-time and full-time workers was not changed until
55 1992; is that right?
56 A. 1995.
57
58 Q. This year -- sorry?
59 A. As a result of the European Court decision.
60
