Day 179 - 30 Oct 95 - Page 36
1 A. A small increase, but not -- you could not increase
2 quickly enough and train people for overnight change in
3 takings.
4
5 Q. There might be a day at the beginning of the holidays, but
6 if you recruit in a staggered fashion you do not have that
7 problem, do you?
8 A. It was difficult at that time to get staff.
9
10 Q. What do you mean by "that time"?
11 A. Well, the mid to late 80s.
12
13 Q. It is right, is it not -- it is as well you should know
14 this is what Mr. Davis has told us -- that he never had any
15 recruitment problems in Colchester at all, and that he was
16 always able to stagger his recruitment during busy
17 periods. That is right, is it not?
18 A. I would not say that, no.
19
20 Q. You see, if it were right and there were plenty of
21 part-timers, this business about full-timers having to do
22 60 to 70 hours, except in emergencies, is rubbish, is it
23 not?
24 A. No, it is not, no.
25
26 Q. How many times as an under 18 did you work beyond
27 12 o'clock?
28 A. Many -- I could not say -- more than 50.
29
30 Q. How many times did you do a full night close and start
31 again at 11.00 in the morning?
32 A. Several.
33
34 Q. Several?
35 A. Several, a dozen maybe.
36
37 Q. A dozen -- in four years?
38 A. Yes.
39
40 Q. Does that mean that you would have one of these high level
41 visits, sort of, three times a year?
42 A. No, because I would not be the Manager on every night.
43
44 Q. No, but you are saying there must have been more than that;
45 is that right?
46 A. Yes, there would be more visits than that.
47
48 Q. Where were these "Help wanted" notices that you said were
49 permanently up?
50 A. On the top of the fry stations.
51
52 Q. Were they up during the whole of your time at Colchester?
53 A. Pretty much, I would say, yes.
54
55 Q. Do you know how much it costs to repair a fat filtering
56 machine?
57 A. I think a replacement one was a few hundred pounds.
58
59 Q. Yes. If the oil was not filtered, it could not be reused,
60 could it?
