Day 209 - 25 Jan 96 - Page 34


     
     1        safely."
     2
     3        Please stop me if there is anything that is incorrect or
     4        needs clarification.
     5
     6        "Short staffing occurred frequently, not because of
     7        mistakes by the scheduling Manager, but because of pressure
     8        put on him by the store Supervisor to reduce the labour
     9        percentage from the standard 15 per cent to 13 per cent.
    10        This persistent pressure means the scheduling Manager
    11        invariably cuts back on staff levels to the bare minimum.
    12        More importantly, he under-estimates the predicted volume
    13        of business for the week ahead to avoid days of high labour
    14        percentage."
    15        A.  Could I just say there that the pressure he put on the
    16        Manager who is doing the schedule was, he would never be --
    17        or he might be criticised occasionally if labour was very
    18        low -- but he would not normally be criticised if labour
    19        was running under, but if labour was running over he would
    20        always get grief from the Supervisor.  So that, in turn,
    21        you know, it made him want to schedule under, because he
    22        did not want to get reprimanded all the time.
    23
    24   Q.   Continuing to read: "I am personally liable when shift
    25        running Manager for all incidents that may occur within the
    26        store concerning both customers and staff.  When running
    27        shifts, I am required by McDonald's to complete a tour of
    28        the store every half an hour to ensure there no problems.
    29        This is impossible when very few staff are working.  On 9th
    30        November, there were three employees scheduled to my shift,
    31        forcing me to cook and serve in order to keep up with the
    32        volume of business."
    33        A.  Can I explain there?  Like we discussed before, I put
    34        that very badly.  I never worked that shift.  I walked out.
    35          That was the day I walked out.
    36
    37   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause a moment.
    38        A.  Because I read here, it makes it sounds as though they
    39        were forcing me to cook.  It would have forced me to do
    40        what I normally did, which was stay on wrap all night and
    41        not get a break -- wrap being wrap and call.
    42
    43        Also, can I clarify that on 9th November there were three
    44        employees scheduled for my shift; there were actually four,
    45        I think, and one of them, when I came in the store, one of
    46        them, the girl who was on wrap and call, a girl called Joe
    47        Stapeley, told me that somebody had rung up sick.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:   Sorry?
    50        A.  Joe Stapeley her name was.  She was on wrap and call. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Just speak a little more slowly. 
    53        A.  There was no, there was no -----
    54
    55   Q.   A bit more slowly.
    56        A.  There was no Manager downstairs at the time.  I came in
    57        the store -----
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause a moment.
    60        A.  OK.  I think -----

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