Day 118 - 01 May 95 - Page 21


     
     1        something wrong they would deal with it in the restaurant.
     2        That is their role.
     3
     4   Q.   So effectively your evidence is you do not know what
     5        percentage of people get what pay rise when?
     6        A.  Of course I do not.
     7
     8   Q.   Right.
     9        A.  It is performance related for each individual.  There
    10        are 31,000 crew people.  I do not know what 31,000 crew
    11        people get, but I am satisfied that the supervisory staff
    12        and the Human Resources staff are happy with the conditions
    13        out there, and that the staff are happy with the conditions
    14        out there.
    15
    16   Q.   They are happy that your office are happy with the profits
    17        that you are making; is that correct?
    18        A.  My department do not make profits.
    19
    20   Q.   No, your company, your department when they feed or do not
    21        feed you with figures as they feel like, you assume they
    22        are happy with the situation.  Is it not a fact that what
    23        you mean by that is they are happy with the profits they
    24        are making out of the low wages that the workers are
    25        getting?
    26        A.  Let me take that one at a time.  I do not suppose my
    27        department is concerned terribly in the profit margin.
    28        Obviously they are delighted the organisation is making
    29        profits, but I do not suppose they are terribly concerned
    30        at the level of the profits.  Secondly I do not think we
    31        are paying low wages.
    32
    33   Q.   So is it not a fact that you are not only illegally not
    34        paying overtime, but you are also -----
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Well he does not accept that.  He may be
    37        right he may be wrong, but he has already said he does not
    38        think they were acting illegally.
    39
    40   MR. MORRIS:  Whether or not you are acting illegally, you are
    41        also deliberately misinforming workers about their rights
    42        to overtime by saying that you have an agreement with the
    43        Wage Council?
    44        A.  No you are absolutely wrong.  That Wages Council notice
    45        goes on every notice board in every restaurant.  So all
    46        crew are aware of what the minimum rates are and what the
    47        minimum overtime rate is.  They are also aware of our
    48        policy of not paying overtime, but ensuring that if they
    49        are asked to work overtime their recompense is in line with
    50        the Wages Council order. 
    51 
    52   Q.   You have no agreement with the Wages Council do you, or you 
    53        had no agreement with the Wages Council that ----
    54        A.  No one has agreements.
    55
    56   Q.   --- absolved you from overtime payments?
    57        A.  No one has agreements with the Wage Council.  The
    58        answer is no, the wages inspectors have told us that that
    59        is what they work to and they are happy with what the
    60        conditions they found at McDonald's.

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