Day 134 - 13 Jun 95 - Page 57


     
     1        were suggesting that when the premium rate was frozen or
     2        limited in that, for instance, it increased just 10p over
     3        the period between 682 and 688 ---
     4        A.  Yes.
     5
     6   Q.   -- you suggested that the rate, the evening rate, was
     7        increased more than it would have otherwise been, as
     8        I understood you to say?
     9        A.  Yes.
    10
    11   Q.   Ms. Steel is pointing out that the evening rate increased
    12        30p an hour, basic rate, which is no more than the daily
    13        rate increased, and she is suggesting that contradicts what
    14        you said.  What you are invited to do is say whether you
    15        accept or not it contradicted?
    16        A.  Right.  I will need to look at the figures again
    17        because I thought it was making the point that I had made,
    18        but from -- what I said was, from recollection, and what
    19        I will need to do is show, to demonstrate what I mean by
    20        that, if I can have a moment?  Yes, I accept that I cannot
    21        make the connection that I am trying to make from these
    22        figures so ......
    23
    24   Q.   No, it occurs to me that those figures are not necessarily
    25        inconsistent because, for instance, for all I know but for
    26        the policy you have said, if it existed, the evening rate
    27        would have only been increased 20p that year but has been
    28        increased 30p, and one can look at the other figures and
    29        see that they vary rather.
    30
    31        For instance, the Floor Managers, Training Co-ordinators
    32        increase or their equivalent increase 35 in the daily rate,
    33        and it is right they increase 35 for evenings as well, but
    34        Lobby Hostesses in the day increase 35 minimum and in the
    35        evening increase 40 minimum.  So there is not necessarily
    36        any consistency about it.
    37
    38        What is your foundation, let me put it another way, for
    39        saying that the evening rate was increased more than it
    40        would have been as the premium rate increase was slowed
    41        down or disappeared altogether?
    42        A.  It is based on my recollection before having looked at
    43        the documents from here, and from something I think
    44        I remember seeing not so long ago on another document, but
    45        because I cannot make the same comparison, I cannot
    46        actually contradict the point in the way that I would
    47        want.  So, maybe when I look at them again at a different
    48        point I will know, but I cannot draw that out at the
    49        moment.
    50 
    51   MS. STEEL:   I put it to you that both the maximum amounts that 
    52        crew can go up to, even if they do really well on 
    53        performance reviews, and the doing away with the premium
    54        rate are both just measures for the Company to put a cap on
    55        crew earnings so that the Company can increase its profits?
    56        A.  Things like that are never done simply to increase
    57        profits because if you take a short-term approach, that
    58        then causes you a problem in a different area.  Then you
    59        will find your results will drop, and if you find that you
    60        are not pleasing customers, they do not come back and your

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