Day 181 - 01 Nov 95 - Page 36


     
     1        head of the percentage, if you see what I mean.  It is not
     2        per capita calculation at all.
     3        A.  I do not believe I have seen any evidence to show the
     4        number of employees; and it could have been provided,
     5        because I am sure these statistics -- National Insurance
     6        numbers would show it, for example.  I think, if a point is
     7        being made about the number of repeat employees -- and I am
     8        prepared to accept they feature -- if that is an important
     9        thing for the Company -- and, indeed, I dare say it is, and
    10        it would relate to the role of McDonald's in the community;
    11        that has often been a feature of information put out by the
    12        Company.  I mean, you know, this is part of the Company
    13        culture.  But then, you know, it would not be that
    14        difficult, given the resources available to McDonald's, to
    15        actually say that this is the percentage, you know.
    16        Otherwise, it is all speculation.
    17
    18   Q.   We will take your kindly words to heart, Mr. Pearson.
    19        Before I go to the final thing, which is health and safety
    20        in a McDonald's restaurant, can I ask you -- I think I know
    21        the answer, but I want to be sure that I am right about
    22        it -- when the law changed at the end of 1986 or the
    23        beginning of 1987 in relation to wages councils and their
    24        powers, the new orders, looking at them, seem to confine
    25        themselves to people of 21 or above?
    26        A.  Yes.
    27
    28   Q.   They do not seem any longer to make distinction between
    29        different parts of the country?
    30        A.  No, it was a single national -- all the wages council
    31        orders changed, and the greater elaboration that we have
    32        spent some time looking at this morning and yesterday -----
    33
    34   Q.   All those special hours and -----
    35        A.  Everything disappeared.  You ended up with this; you
    36        ended up with a single national rate.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL: Sorry, did you put a particular date when this
    39        happened?
    40
    41   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes, my Lord, whenever it was the law was changed;
    42        I think it was the end of 1986, beginning of 1987;
    43        certainly the first order in 1987, which is June, is in
    44        this bald -----
    45
    46   THE WITNESS:  There was a fixed abolition date at the end of
    47        1987 and, from a common date, the orders then all lapsed;
    48        and what came in place was the single -- actually, no, in
    49        fact, I have made a mistake there.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you mean end of 1986? 
    52        A.  Yes, I do.  No, they did not all lapse on the same 
    53        date.  As the orders came in, the new single system took
    54        over.  I beg your pardon.  They provided for a single a
    55        national hourly rate for 39 hours.
    56
    57   Q.   Just take this slowly.  I know we can find it from the
    58        papers, but give me your recollection.  A single -----
    59        A.  A single national rate ---
    60

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