Day 168 - 03 Oct 95 - Page 35
1 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Just pause a moment. Do you know what the
2 starting rate for a crew member at Bath is now?
3 A. It would vary between £3.05 an hour and £3.20 an hour,
4 depending on what particular job they were going to do.
5
6 MR. MORRIS: Sorry, who gets a £3.05?
7 A. Generally part-timers who are working, for instance,
8 who are under 18, and when they are 18 their pay will go up
9 to £3.20.
10
11 Q. Right. What about under 18s that are full-timers?
12 A. They get go up to £3.20 rate as well straightaway.
13
14 Q. What, as soon as they are full-time or as soon as they are
15 18?
16 A. As soon as they are hired basically.
17
18 Q. As soon as they are hired, right.
19
20 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Do you know what the rationale is in
21 distinguishing between under 18s part-time and under 18s
22 full-time?
23 A. I know that the Company sets slightly different rates,
24 and we raised those rates because Bath is a particularly
25 prosperous area. So the decision was taken that in order
26 to make competitive we had to raise our rates. So we just
27 raised the rates accordingly. I think the Company standard
28 is £2.70 and £3.05, I think.
29
30 Q. Just pause a moment. What is the £2.70, as you think it
31 is?
32 A. I understand that is for under 18s.
33
34 Q. What, part-time?
35 A. I assume so, yes, and then the £3.05 would be for over
36 18s.
37
38 Q. It looks, but tell me if I am wrong, as if you pay the
39 under 18s part-time less because you can get people who are
40 still at school, for instance ---
41 A. That is right, you do not -----
42
43 Q. -- just let me finish for a moment -- whereas if they want
44 a full-time job from you, it would follow that they are
45 not, for instance, at school and you would have to pay them
46 £3.20 to get hold of them; is that right or not?
47 A. That is correct, yes.
48
49 MR. MORRIS: Do you know what the unemployment rate is for Bath?
50 A. It is about nine per cent.
51
52 Q. Nine per cent.
53 A. That is in the travel to work area.
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: That is Bath and the area around ---
56 A. That is correct.
57
58 Q. -- within which people could easily travel into the city
59 centre to work, is it?
60 A. That is correct.
