Day 121 - 04 May 95 - Page 11


     
     1        seen the overtime returns.  You have had an opportunity to
     2        analyse them.  If one person a fortnight in an average
     3        store is doing more than 78 hours in a fortnight, it is
     4        most unlikely that anyone is working 50 hours a week and
     5        most unlikely that it is common place.  If it happened it
     6        would be extremely rare, if it ever happened.
     7
     8   Q.   You would consider that quite long hours?
     9        A.  I would.
    10
    11   Q.   If you turn to page 10, just before half way down that
    12        paragraph on page 10, it refers to Simon Gibney who was, I
    13        think, Assistant Manager of the store, his statement, who
    14        is a witness for us, saying that it is exaggerating about
    15        hours -- Mark Davis says in the middle of the sentence:
    16         "It is more realistic to state that crew members could be
    17        working approximately 50 hours a week during the school
    18        holidays, rather than 60 or 70 hours as suggested by Simon;
    19        perhaps 30 to 40 hours a week during other times",
    20        presumably, not school holidays "rather than 25 hours".  If
    21        people are working 50 hours a week, what does that say
    22        about the scheduling system at a particular store?
    23        A.  It says that they are under-crewed, but if you analyse
    24        those papers we sent you on the analysis of hours worked,
    25        you will find that the number working over 96 is
    26        minuscule.  Now, I cannot answer for what Mark Davis has
    27        said, but I am talking about what the figures dictate for
    28        the Company as a whole.
    29
    30   Q.   People might not want to work long hours; if a store was
    31        under-staffed, they may be under pressure to work long
    32        hours?
    33        A.  I did not say it was under-staffed.  I said that would
    34        be what that would indicate.  I dare say there are people
    35        who do want to work 50 hours a week -- I used to
    36        regularly.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is going to vary from person to
    39        person  ---
    40        A.  Yes, of course.
    41
    42   Q.   -- some people would find it tough; some people would be
    43        happy to have the opportunity to work more hours and get
    44        more money?
    45        A.  And our policy is, my Lord, that we discourage managers
    46        allowing people to work more than the 78 hours per
    47        fortnightly period.
    48
    49   Q.   Yes.
    50 
    51   MR. MORRIS:  I asked you about rumours about the Company's 
    52        attitude to trade unions, do you remember, and particularly 
    53        about a store being closed when staff joined the trade
    54        union, and you said you had never heard of that, you never
    55        heard of that rumour?
    56        A.  No.
    57
    58   Q.   Have you heard any other rumours about Company policy to
    59        trade unions?
    60        A.  No, I have said, the only occasions on which I have

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