Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 28
1 rate down; the Company did not want a high turnover rate?
2 A. No, it certainly does not.
3
4 Q. The national figure now is something like 120 per cent, if
5 we can believe the computer printout. You say the Company
6 did not want to have a high turnover rate. Did you ever
7 see any memos to this effect, or was there any general
8 discussion amongst management, that "this is something we
9 should bring down"?
10 A. Oh, yes, definitely. I can only speak for the Midlands
11 region, but there was a concerted effort over two or three
12 years to make efforts to bring the turnover down, and the
13 turnover figures for the region were posted out on a
14 monthly basis so that Managers had the information there
15 for their particular restaurant and how they fared compared
16 with other restaurants, and their definite aim was to bring
17 the turnover down.
18
19 Q. What years were they? Do you remember this?
20 A. About five years ago. That is not to say there was not
21 efforts before that, but I remember there was particularly
22 concerted effort five years ago, and it is always
23 maintained as fairly high up the agenda. It is something
24 that a manager would be, sort of, form part of how -----
25
26 Q. It is in the store audit, is it not, about turnover
27 figures, percentages? I think we saw it on the front page
28 somewhere.
29 A. It was on the personnel audit, I believe, but, you
30 know, because the figures come out on a fairly regular
31 basis, then that does tend to sort of focus the Manager's
32 mind on the matter.
33
34 MS. STEEL: On crew uniforms, they have to return them at the
35 end of their employment, do they not?
36 A. Yes, preferably.
37
38 Q. Are they then reused or are they thrown away?
39 A. Reused, unless they are in such a condition that they
40 are not able to be reused.
41
42 Q. So there is not any expense with regards to turnover for
43 crew uniforms because they are just reused by the next
44 employee that comes along?
45 A. Well, the problem is they do not necessarily bring them
46 back.
47
48 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, I think you said that.
49
50 MS. STEEL: Yes, if they do not bring them, you do not give them
51 their last pay cheque, do you? That is a condition of them
52 getting their last pay cheque?
53 A. No. I believe that has been operated in some
54 restaurants as a system for getting the uniform back, but
55 I believe now it is not a common practice, if at all.
56
57 Q. In the Crew Handbook of 1989 it says: "If you cease
58 employment at McDonald's you must return the uniform or
59 uniforms before receiving your last pay slip and P45 from
60 the restaurant". That is correct, is it not?
