Day 182 - 02 Nov 95 - Page 36


     
     1        then they will come in and have meetings; and if they
     2        cannot sort it out, it goes to an additional higher level,
     3        which is the TUC and the Federation of Employers; and if
     4        they -----
     5
     6   MR. MORRIS:  Hang on. (Pause)
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes?
     9        A.  And if they cannot sort it out, then they have the
    10        option to bring this matter into the Labour Court, where a
    11        regular Norwegian court will act as a Labour Court,
    12        actually deciding the case on what is law and what is the
    13        agreement, and on the agreement.  So, I do not know exactly
    14        the legal technicalities, but they actually rule on the
    15        agreement, what the agreement says about the dispute.
    16
    17   MR. MORRIS:  What about the representative's rights, in terms of
    18        -- what rights do you have as a person working at
    19        McDonald's as a representative -- not access to documents
    20        or -- what can you actually do to represent on the floor?
    21        A.  In the spirit of the agreement, you are allowed to take
    22        as much time as you need to settle union matters, which
    23        means that you can say to McDonald's, "Now I need to have
    24        two hours off on Friday.  There are some union matters we
    25        need to discuss I can work out."
    26
    27        If there are really important situations that occur right
    28        in the work, as you work, you may actually leave your
    29        station and take care of it right away, if you deem it to
    30        be so serious that it needs immediate attention.
    31
    32        You can put up posters and you can have information
    33        meetings sometimes, during the working hours, without being
    34        deducted of pay; and, obviously, any union work you do
    35        while you are at work, you are also paid for by
    36        McDonald's.
    37
    38   Q.   You talked about posters.  Is there some kind of notice
    39        board, or something?
    40        A.  Yes.
    41
    42   Q.   What kind of say do you have over what goes up on the
    43        notice board?
    44        A.  Well, before the agreement, you were not allowed to put
    45        up anything; you were given a written warning that if you
    46        put up something without first showing it to the managers.
    47        But, as a union official, you can put up any poster you
    48        like, actually, you know, to inform the workers of anything
    49        that you think is important.
    50 
    51   Q.   What about the distribution of literature; has anything 
    52        changed about that? 
    53        A.  No.  They do not mind you distributing literature, as
    54        long as people do not stand about reading it while they are
    55        working, obviously.
    56
    57   Q.   But before the agreement, would they have minded?
    58        A.  That would be in breach of using the working space for
    59        your own personal interests, so you could not do that.
    60

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