Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 37
1 place to park. I said to Ron Lorrie, "Where can I park in
2 Hackney? I have never been there before. How do I get from
3 the parking place?" He said: "It is my store. I am going
4 down there on business, I will show you where to park." I
5 do not think he attended the meeting. I am not sure, but I
6 do not think he attended the meeting.
7
8 Q. These two occasions, the only ones that I am aware of,
9 where you went personally to the store in connection with
10 some sort of suggestion relating to a trades union, do you
11 think there were any others where you personally went?
12 A. There was one other.
13
14 Q. Where as that?
15 A. Liverpool.
16
17 Q. Why would it be necessary for somebody of your seniority to
18 go to Hackney, East Ham or Liverpool to deal with a matter,
19 I will not call it a problem, of this kind?
20 A. Well, at that time in the London and Southern region
21 I must have had something like 170 stores. I had Carmel
22 Flatley and Joanne Blaket as my field personnel officers.
23 I took the telephone call. If they had taken the telephone
24 call, they may very well have gone. I took the telephone
25 call and said, "Yes, I will come down." I used to enjoy
26 going to the store talking to the crew.
27
28 Q. Why did you get involve with the one at Liverpool?
29 A. Again, the regional manager said he had had this
30 approach from the manager; he had been informed by the
31 manager that he had been approached to allow the crew to
32 join a union, and that he was going to address the meeting
33 on Saturday afternoon. It happened to be Aintree day, the
34 Grand National, and he asked if I would go up in case he
35 wanted some support from me and I said "Certainly". I went
36 up there. I visited four or five stores while I was up
37 there. I did attend the meeting, but I did not participate
38 in it.
39
40 Q. Did you also get to go to the Grand National?
41 A. No. It was held at the time the Grand National was
42 run.
43
44 Q. Was that a big deal, that Liverpool thing?
45 A. No.
46
47 Q. Broadly speaking, what was it about? I think you told us
48 in outline that some crew people?
49 A. Yes, had indicated they wanted to join a union.
50
51 Q. How did you deal with that?
52 A. Well, the regional manager addressed the -- no, in fact
53 he did not. The store manager and the supervisor addressed
54 the meeting. There were about, I would say, on that
55 occasion 25, maybe 30 crew members attended. If I remember
56 correctly, I am sure at the end of the afternoon the
57 manager said: "Now that you have heard what the company's
58 policy is, how many people really want to consider joining
59 a union?" I think about three put their hands up.
60
