Day 207 - 23 Jan 96 - Page 47
1
2 Q. It includes a very large area?
3 A. East Anglia down to Wales, to the southwest. It
4 is -----
5
6 Q. Yes, that is all I needed to know.
7
8 MS. STEEL: I just want to ask about something on page 195,
9 which again is the rap session of 16th January 1992, under
10 "Alan Charlesworth, First Assistant", the last paragraph
11 says: "Sends people home without good reason". Do you
12 remember that complaint being made?
13 A. No, I do not.
14
15 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Where is that?
16
17 MS. STEEL: It is the last -- perhaps you cannot read it
18 actually. I have written it in by hand.
19
20 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes, but ......
21
22 MS. STEEL: Under "Alan Charlesworth", the fourth paragraph.
23
24 MR. JUSTICE BELL: "Sends people" -- I will write it in.
25
26 MS. STEEL: Can you think of any reason why the crew would want
27 to say that if it was not true?
28 A. No.
29
30 Q. Was Mr. Charlesworth sending people home when the store was
31 quiet or when the store was over its labour percentage?
32 A. I do not remember Mr. Charlesworth sending, you know,
33 people home.
34
35 Q. Do you remember other Managers sending people home?
36 A. If the restaurant volume is quiet, we will ask crew
37 whether they wish to go home.
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I understand all that. It is a topic which
40 has cropped up now and again. No doubt, I will be
41 enlightened in due course but at the moment I have
42 difficulty. I do not see why they should not go home, but
43 I do not see why they should not be paid for the hours they
44 would have worked if they had not gone home. Have you
45 never heard someone there say: "OK, I will go home but as
46 long as you pay me for my shift"? Is that never ever said
47 at all?
48 A. No, well, because, basically, we will ask the crew, you
49 know, whether they wish to finish work and go home.
50
51 MS. STEEL: They are usually quite keen to get out of the
52 store, are you saying?
53 A. No, some members of staff, you know, will want to go
54 for whatever particular reasons, you know, due to
55 themselves.
56
57 Q. They are fed up with working in a pressured environment and
58 they could do with -----
59 A. No.
60
