Day 204 - 15 Jan 96 - Page 34


     
     1        A.  Yes.
     2
     3   Q.   Can you just say, if we go to page 5 ---
     4        A.  Yes.
     5
     6   Q.   -- at the top of the page, the crew numbers in September
     7        1989, which was six months after the last chart we looked
     8        at, are all down on the targets set, is that correct, for
     9        the three stores?
    10        A.  Well, yes, but the target was set for a point in the
    11        future, was it not?  The target set in the second column is
    12        for a point in the future.
    13
    14   Q.   The same target was set previously.
    15        A.  Yes, but ------
    16
    17   Q.   Or exactly the same targets that were set?
    18        A.  Oh, sorry yes, yes, you are right.
    19
    20   Q.   Yes?
    21        A.  Yes.
    22
    23   Q.   If you look at the bottom of that section, just before
    24        Management Hire and Development, the last paragraph before
    25        that, the conclusion of -- was it who did this?  I do not
    26        know who did this actually, this review.
    27
    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is 13th September, is it not, again, 1989?
    29
    30   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  Anyway, the conclusion of your superior was:
    31         "Neither of the set targets for crew numbers have been
    32        achieved nor the required reduction in turnover".  So you
    33        were being criticised, were you not, at this time for crew
    34        numbers and turnover levels?
    35        A.  To a certain extent, although it is relative to the
    36        targets set and what actually happened.  I think if you
    37        look at the bottom of the paragraph, it says, "194 around
    38        the summer without importing crew and 200 were not exactly
    39        desperate", so that would suggest the targets set were
    40        probably a little over the top rather than that we were
    41        running desperately tight or anything.
    42
    43   Q.   So, the targets set by your superiors you did not feel were
    44        realistic then?
    45        A.  Looking back on it, if, I mean, Clacton is a seaside
    46        resort which gets extremely busy in the summer.  Quite
    47        often we used to import crew from the other stores just for
    48        the two month period or for the weekends or something like
    49        that.  I would say -----
    50 
    51   Q.   But you were being criticised for not achieving the set 
    52        targets; is that correct? 
    53        A.  I would say it was commenting on me not achieving the
    54        set targets.  I would say -- you know, you could say
    55        criticise, yes.
    56
    57   Q.   Right.  Just on turnover, the figures for turnover, while
    58        you were Supervisor, there seemed to be a general downward
    59        trend, yes?  I mean, generally overall in that region,
    60        because the Company was trying to get new turnover rates

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