Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 30


     
     1   Q.   What were the rumours, that is the question.
     2        A.  That was the rumour.
     3
     4   Q.   The rumour is that McDonald's was against unions?
     5        A.  That was the rumour at the time, yes, as I remember.
     6
     7   Q.   You just heard that from crew members?
     8        A.  I can remember two or three crew members asking me at
     9        one point and I would have assumed that that would have
    10        come from one person starting that rumour.
    11
    12   Q.   Do you remember who those crew members were?
    13        A.  No.
    14
    15   Q.   Probably it is a daft question but .....
    16        A.  It was never a -- like, it was not, you know, a buzz or
    17        anything; it was just I felt, you know, it would be honest
    18        to include that on my statement as I remember vaguely that
    19        being the case.
    20
    21   MS. STEEL:  At that time had you heard anything from the Company
    22        itself about its view on trade unions?
    23        A.  Not that I can remember.
    24
    25   Q.   Right.  So how did you know it was a false rumour?
    26        A.  Because I had never heard anything of that nature, and
    27        I am sure if the Company was against trade unions, then
    28        they would have instructed managers to sort of be aware in
    29        their restaurants, I would have thought, which they never
    30        did.
    31
    32   Q.   Did you ever ask anyone from the Company about what their
    33        view on trade unions was after that?
    34        A.  No.
    35
    36   Q.   You did not?
    37        A.  I still have not, to be honest, to this day so .....
    38
    39   Q.   We have heard there is also a rumour that has been around
    40        at times concerning McDonald's closing down stores where
    41        staff joined a union or wanted to join a union; did you
    42        ever hear a rumour like that?
    43        A.  I have never heard that specific rumour.
    44
    45   Q.   Have you heard anything similar to that?
    46        A.  I think somebody might have mentioned it in one of the
    47        statements I commented on, but that would be the first time
    48         -- one of your witnesses, I believe.
    49
    50   Q.   When the crew said to you that they thought the Company was 
    51        against unions, what did you say to them? 
    52        A.  I said, as far as I was aware, nobody was particularly 
    53        anti-union and it had never cropped up.
    54
    55   Q.   Just in paragraph 31 of your statement you mention you
    56        recall Connor Donnegan ending up in tears.  What was that
    57        about?
    58        A.  Specifically, I remember Connor Donnegan was a crew
    59        member who was being trained on the grill area by Trudie
    60        Jones, who was putting a little bit too much pressure on

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