Day 151 - 10 Jul 95 - Page 18


     
     1        know.  It is sounds daft to me, so -----
     2
     3   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If you do not -- do you know?
     4        A.  No.
     5
     6   MR. MORRIS:  That is the sort of basic thing that any manager
     7        would know, though, what information they are able to get
     8        access to, directly or indirectly, through Head Office?
     9        A.  I do not know whether or not a grass roots manager
    10        would know what information Head Office could provide.
    11        I would be sceptical to whether or not they knew what
    12        information -- my experience is that some managers, even
    13        with the best will in the world, it is going to be very
    14        difficult for people to appreciate what information is
    15        available from their Regional or Head Office.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Presumably, if it is information which they
    18        need to any significant extent, they do know where they can
    19        get it, because they have to get it from somewhere; query
    20        whether they need to go to Head Office.
    21
    22        What Mr. Morris is contemplating here is someone wanting to
    23        start a job at a new restaurant, when he has previously
    24        worked at another McDonald's restaurant, and there is some
    25        discussion about the rate of pay, and he says:  "I was paid
    26        whatever at Leicester"?
    27        A.  Yes.
    28
    29   Q.   The easiest thing then, I suppose, would be that the
    30        manager of the new store accepts that on face value, having
    31        heard him say what he said about how long he worked there,
    32        and so on, what his increase was, or if he has any doubt
    33        about the matter and wants to check, he can ring up
    34        Leicester to ask them to tell him on the phone?
    35        A.  And that, in my experience, is exactly what happens.
    36
    37   Q.   It may or may not occur to him to go to Head Office
    38        instead, but if he thinks it is easier just to ring up
    39        Leicester, he does not need to know whether Head Office can
    40        provide the information?
    41        A.  What I would want to know, not only the starting rate,
    42        but the performance of the individual concerned.  He may
    43        well be on £3 an hour or paid £5 an hour, but if the
    44        reasons and the circumstances in which they left the
    45        previous restaurant were involuntary, for example, then
    46        I would need to know that, first of all.  So, I think, in
    47        my experience, I have certainly 'phoned up other restaurant
    48        managers to find out, and they will certainly tell me
    49        everything I need to know from thereon in -- especially the
    50        reasons for leaving. 
    51 
    52   MR. MORRIS:  Which of course has a code on the computer, in any 
    53        event, has it not?
    54        A.  A code on the computer?  Not for hourly paid -- again,
    55        this is Human Resources, but, as far as I can recollect for
    56        hourly paid employees, we do not have anything on the
    57        computer records.  I know for salaried, we do.  But,
    58        again -- I mean, I make the comment guardedly -- I am
    59        pretty sure that on a computer -----
    60

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