Day 002 - 29 Jun 94 - Page 40


     
     1        reason for the massive turnover at McDonald's restaurants
              which, according to McDonald's, our claims are completely
     2        false; that people leave McDonald's because the work is so
              demoralising, arduous, or whatever, or unsafe.  They think
     3        it is just because people are fitting it in with their
              schedules.  That will be a matter of evidence.  We have 30
     4        ex-employees coming to give evidence, including
              ex-managers which, no doubt, will throw light on the
     5        conditions in the stores.
 
     6        I think the allegation that "workers in catering do badly
              in terms of pay and conditions" and, by implication, of
     7        course, McDonald's -- again I do point out that this
              leaflet is quite a well-balanced leaflet putting blame on
     8        industry, not just McDonald's.  I think that should be
              seriously taken into consideration.
     9
              On the pay side, McDonald's say they pay above the minimum
    10        and, by their own evidence of pay scales, I think,
              whatever it is now, £3.00 an hour in the modern world, to
    11        say that is low pay, I do not see how really McDonald's
              can sustain that objection.  Clearly, their pay is low
    12        pay.
 
    13        This is another point I want to make as a general point
              for yourself to consider.  We are not saying that they pay
    14        lower than other restaurants or even (which is obviously
              the case) that they pay lower than other jobs.  Clearly,
    15        the majority of their staff get well under the average
              pay.  But, on top of that, although it is clearly low pay,
    16        comparatively to other jobs, it is clearly low pay in
              itself.  I think this is something that goes through the
    17        leaflet.
 
    18        We are not saying, for example, that more people are at
              risk of food poisoning at McDonald's than they are at
    19        another food service organisation that supplies chicken,
              we do not have to prove greater risk.
    20
              We are making points which are true or fair comment.  The
    21        comparative -- this is a very important subject for the
              whole leaflet really -- is that it is not necessarily a
    22        comparative point between, is it unfair to criticise
              McDonald's if they are not worse than anyone else, or not
    23        better than anyone else, or whatever?  The point, is it
              true that there is a risk or is it true that this is low
    24        pay?
 
    25        A lot of that comes down to fair comment.  It will be a
              sad day when corporations can prevent people saying things 
    26        like McDonald's, you know, workers get low pay.  Everybody 
              in the country knows it is low pay.  I do not think 
    27        anybody working for McDonald's in the official positions
              would do it for the pay which the majority of their
    28        workers on the ground get.
 
    29        Also a point on pay which has not really been played up
              much, is that they do not have any guarantees of hours.
    30        This is an important point in that, like everything with
              McDonald's, they have very few rights.  There is no

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