Day 302 - 18 Nov 96 - Page 22


     
     1        deliberately put it about or not.
     2
     3        He also said on day 4, page 72 -- I put it him, John Cook
     4        has been - this is line 6 - has been described as the
     5        architect of the corporation's policies with regards to
     6        labour practices and trade unions. "Would you say that is a
     7        fair description of him?"  Answer: "Yes" , and he had
     8        actually said that he had spoken to John Cook in the '70s.
     9        So the point was, again, that reinforces our view that the
    10        evidence is that policies were set up, you know, in the
    11        early days, that were designed to be global in reach, in
    12        effect, and also to be set for the future, and that would
    13        apply today wherever possible.
    14
    15        That is all I have got for Mr. Beavers.  I had a thought
    16        about unions, I have just lost it now.  (Pause)
    17
    18        Now, I am just going to touch on some other matters and
    19        then I am going to go on to Mr. Pearson, which I will have
    20        to do from the transcript because I have not got separate
    21        notes, although I have identified the bits of transcript.
    22        Actually, I did not mention with Mr. Nicholson, there is a
    23        few other bits, that he did actually say -- I am not sure
    24        if I quoted this -- "that pay would be one of the things
    25        that is often mentioned" when staff were asked about what
    26        improvements they would like at McDonald's.  But, I mean,
    27        it is not really surprising.
    28
    29        I am doing a few bits and pieces now, then I will come on
    30        to Mr. Pearson.  If I can point out, in terms of pay, that
    31        to achieve a 10 pence rise-----
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   This is just general comment, is it, not
    34        Mr. Nicholson?
    35
    36   MR. MORRIS:   It was put to Mr. Nicholson.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Very well.
    39
    40   MR. MORRIS:   But this will not be controversial, that the
    41        criteria for attaining a 10 pence per hour wage increase
    42        because of a performance review was to get over 87 percent
    43        in the tests, which meant that performance consistently
    44        exceeds job requirements and expectations.  So,
    45        effectively, if you do your job you are not going to get
    46        more than a five pence per hour wage rise in the company
    47        unless you consistently exceed job requirement.
    48
    49        Another thing I was going to just mention that was brought
    50        up with Mr. Nicholson, was that we had figures as recently
    51        as 1993 showing two to three under eighteens, I think it
    52        was in London and the southeast, were showing up on company
    53        records as working in excess of 96 hours in a fortnight,
    54        which, until 1990, was illegal.  I think it was 1990.  It
    55        might have been when the changes were made in 1987.  I am
    56        not sure, the point was, it is, it was, illegal because it
    57        is not fair to make people work such long hours at such a
    58        young age.  So whether it is illegal or not is immaterial,
    59        it should not happen.
    60

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