Day 197 - 07 Dec 95 - Page 54
1 A. Yes.
2
3 Q. If the restaurant runs well because you have got the right
4 number of crew, the right number of Managers and the right
5 quality of personnel, your sales will increase, will they
6 not?
7 A. That is the theory, yes.
8
9 Q. Your profitability in all likelihood will then increase?
10 A. That should be the case.
11
12 Q. That is the McDonald's company policy, is it not?
13 A. As I have said, that is the written policy.
14
15 Q. That is what Mr. Davis was trying to get through your head
16 all through these performance reviews, is it not?
17 A. I disagree with that. If you read Mr. Davis'
18 performance reviews, the same things are echoed through
19 there. They could be for the same people.
20
21 Q. Look, please, at page 38 by way of example. These are, if
22 you look at page 37, the goals and objectives that he has
23 set you on 11th May 1985. The second one is: "Develop a
24 team of eight Training Squad who attend weekly meetings
25 given by a salaried Manager. (3) Develop a further two
26 Floor Managers by the end of September". That is, what,
27 four and a half month hence from 11th May 1988. (5) Hire
28 two morning cleaners and a further cleaner to work four to
29 five hours in the evening. (10) Two Trainee Managers to
30 be installed by September 15th".
31
32 Are you saying that that is all just a charade by
33 Mr. Davis?
34 A. Not a charade, but it is not -- it is taken out of
35 context in the fact that, yes, you continually have to
36 hire and train people but we were still always under
37 pressure to run shifts short, send people home. So there
38 are two contradictions, is what I have said all along.
39
40 Q. Please turn to page 40. We now move forward to
41 1st November 1988. This is a passage noted by -- I will
42 read you under "Marketing and sales building", last
43 sentence: "Also, the crew numbers must be increased
44 dramatically if all the business in December is to be
45 taken". Adequate staff to cope with the business.
46 A. I think the key wording there is, if all the business
47 in December was to be taken, because then in January and
48 February, whatever happens to the cost cutting exercises
49 that I have already talked about, in times of high
50 business, school holidays, Christmas, we could not get
51 enough people, and the situation would be in the quieter
52 periods we would have to do the cost cutting we talked
53 about; hence that there was always a problem with crew.
54 You either had too many or you did not have enough.
55
56 Q. Then cast your eye further down the page to the second
57 paragraph under "Profit", please: "Remember that labour
58 is to be invested wisely. It is not enough to run tight
59 on occasions just to be a percentage given by myself or
60 agreed by you". Is the message there, Mr. Coton, this, do
