Day 172 - 12 Oct 95 - Page 50


     
     1        Head Office in the U.K. used to come in fairly regularly as
     2        well.  On one occasion 'Mr. Big Mac (U.K.)' himself came
     3        into the store.  He was a highly patronising American.  I
     4        was disgusted by the man - he kept putting his arm round
     5        the Managers and talking to them in an appalling way.
     6
     7        18.  I am of the view that McDonald's brainwashes its
     8        employees.  The Training Manual was extensive, pumping vast
     9        amounts of information down the hierarchy.  The whole
    10        system worked by having large amounts of information
    11        regarding procedures constantly pumped downwards in an
    12        incessant flow.  The system cannot really go wrong at all,
    13        it is so mechanised.  There is a chain of command from the
    14        man at the top right down to the person who cleans the
    15        toilets, and everyone is expected to know their procedure.
    16        In the crew room, for example, one is expected to read all
    17        procedure documents put up on the noticeboards regarding
    18        things such as how to make Big Macs.
    19
    20        19.  No-one ever mentioned a Trade Union while I was
    21        there.  I have no time for Unions personally, and in the
    22        Republic of Ireland, there is enough employee protection by
    23        law for Unions to be basically unnecessary.  I was
    24        surprised when I first came over to England by how little
    25        protection employees are given under the law, so
    26        I understand why things are different with regard to
    27        Unions.  The foreign employees were not interested in
    28        anything like Unions - they just wanted the work.  Other
    29        employees were not interested either.  Unions were just not
    30        an issue which seemed at all relevant to anybody at
    31        McDonald's.  Back in Ireland, I used to work for a hotel
    32        group as a kitchen electrician.  The whole industry was
    33        unionised and everyone down to the most menial employee
    34        earned good money."
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is just the second sentence.
    37
    38   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  20:  "... The general Management practice was
    39        that where a person was not liked or was perceived not to
    40        be pulling his or her weight, that person's life was made a
    41        misery and he or she generally left.
    42
    43        21.  I do not regret working at McDonald's, but I did not
    44        particularly enjoy it.  I would describe the McDonald's
    45        style of employment as being similar to rats running round
    46        the maze, being prodded with an electric probe in order to
    47        correct deviation.  Nicholas Magill."
    48
    49        Although that is not signed, it is the cover letter ---
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes. 
    52 
    53   MR. MORRIS:  -- reinforces them anyway.  "Continuation to
    54        Statement", heading, "24 hour shifts"; the reference
    55        numbers in that ----
    56
    57   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Leave them out because they do not relate to
    58        any other document we have got.
    59
    60   MR. MORRIS:  OK.

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