Day 188 - 15 Nov 95 - Page 23


     
     1        (To the witness): But the notes, as they were, were
     2        accurate, as far as you know; yes?
     3        A.  Yes.
     4
     5   Q.   There will be a couple of them I refer to; some of them
     6        I will refer to.  I will just start reading through.
     7
     8        "I spent some six months working as a researcher for
     9        Jane Gabriel Productions on a documentary film recording
    10        McDonald's.  The film was intended to record a 'day in the
    11        life' of the hamburger chain and we filmed the two stores,
    12        the Strand store next to Charing Cross Station and the one
    13        at Croydon.
    14
    15        "In the process of doing research, I worked five shifts,
    16        split between the two stores, including two shifts that ran
    17        from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m.  Although the Company knew that
    18        I was a researcher and, indeed, gave permission for me to
    19        work these shifts in order to experience what it was like
    20        as a crew member, I was treated exactly as though I was,
    21        indeed, a full employee of McDonald's.  No quarter was
    22        given."
    23
    24        Can I just ask a question there?  In what ways do you feel
    25        that there was a difference between you and the crew people
    26        while you were doing the work?
    27        A.  There are probably two main differences:  one is that
    28        I knew that it was only a short-term exercise and that
    29        I did not have to come back the next day; and the other was
    30        that I was getting paid a great deal more money than they
    31        were.  But in terms of actual working, I felt that I was at
    32        that moment, from 11 to 4, I was working exactly as they
    33        were working and did not have time to walk around and take
    34        a break or anything; I had to keep working like they were.
    35
    36   Q.  "I worked as part of the grill teams and had to put up with
    37        them and the pattern that the rest of the team was
    38        working.  Thus, on the two long shifts, I had a two minute
    39        drink break, and no more."
    40
    41        A question there: did you have an official break as well,
    42        half an hour or whatever, or was that just the only break
    43        you had?
    44        A.  That was the only break, because it was only a
    45        relatively short shift, was it not, 11 to 4 -- so five
    46        hours.
    47
    48   Q.   Five hours; you just had a two minute break?
    49        A.  Yes.
    50 
    51   Q.  "At the Strand store, whilst working on the Big Mac 
    52        dressings, I observed that the lettuce supplied to me was 
    53        in poor condition, going brown at the edges and very
    54        soggy.  I pointed this out to the grill team leader, who
    55        shrugged:  'It is often like that.  Get on with it.' Thus a
    56        whole bag of rotting lettuce was used up in the Big Macs.
    57
    58        "On another occasion, also at the Strand store, I was
    59        passed a tray of toasted buns to dress.  At least four of
    60        the buns were mouldy blue.  I again pointed this out to the

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