Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 29


     
     1   Q.   -- or grease sets in; it is lighter than water and will
     2        come to the top in various conditions, and may there
     3        accumulate and cause a blockage?
     4        A.  We used to have a system -----
     5
     6   Q.   On the other hand, I can see that if anyone was daft enough
     7        to pour a whole lot of fat down, that is courting
     8        disaster.  Did you know what the cause was on this
     9        occasion?
    10        A.  No.  I cannot remember specifically, but the likely
    11        explanation would have been either a grease blockage (which
    12        is fairly unlikely, considering we used to dose the grease
    13        trap on a nightly basis with actimatic powder) or,
    14        secondly, because there was a removal lid by which we used
    15        to dose it, maybe somebody put something down there which
    16        had caused the blockage itself, because the actual exit
    17        from the grease trap was smaller.  So it could have been
    18        either one of the two -- the most likely explanation being
    19        that some form of foreign object had been put down there.
    20
    21   MR. MORRIS:   When you say grease, are we talking about the fat
    22        from the filtering unit, or what?
    23        A.  It could have been that, or grease, you know, from the
    24        trays or the spatulas where we cleaned them.
    25
    26   Q.   Right.  You say that you recall Tim Taylor -- you closed
    27        the store, you say?
    28        A.  That is right.
    29
    30   Q.   Then you recall Tim Taylor, the operations manager,
    31        visiting the store on that occasion, only to find it shut?
    32        A.  That is why I remember it mainly.
    33
    34   Q.   He was initially aghast at the reason for the closure?
    35        A.  Certainly.  He always liked to have a joke with
    36        everybody, generally had a smile on his face, worked very
    37        hard, very enthusiastic, yes.
    38
    39   Q.   So in terms of socialising with other people and having a
    40        laugh?
    41        A.  Yes, he did not take it to a degree where it was, you
    42        know, would go beyond the point where it would be not
    43        conducive to the work, but generally got on well with the
    44        rest of the crew and he got on well with the Managers.
    45
    46   Q.   That kind of impression you got with Siamak, is that the
    47        impression you got for other staff generally at the
    48        Colchester store?
    49        A.  They were not all generally as happy and outgoing as
    50        Siamak.  He was exceptional in his sort of enthusiasm for 
    51        the job, if you like. 
    52 
    53   Q.   You say in point 29:  "It is fair to say that at that time
    54        during Siamak's working there there were occasionally false
    55        rumours circulating about McDonald's policy on trade
    56        unions".  Give an example of what false rumours were.
    57        A.  All I remember is an odd, you know, maybe the odd crew
    58        member would come up to me and say, you know:  "Is it true
    59        McDonald's does not like unions?"
    60

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