Day 118 - 01 May 95 - Page 70


     
     1   Q.   Your department, is that right?
     2        A.  Yes.
     3
     4   Q.   Dated 6th March 1989?
     5        A.  Yes.
     6
     7   Q.   To the Child Employment Officer of the Inner London
     8        Education Authority.
     9        A.  Yes.
    10
    11   Q.   This is while you were Head of Personnel?
    12        A.  Yes.
    13
    14   Q.   "Until recently McDonald's Restaurants Limited operated a
    15        policy where managers were only allowed to hire people of
    16        school leaving age or above.  However, because like many
    17        other employees we are experiencing recruitment
    18        difficulties, particularly in London and the South, some
    19        store managers have been authorised to hire people who are
    20        under school leaving age."
    21        A.  Yes.
    22
    23   Q.   So at that time you also had a problem with ----
    24        A.  In certain areas.
    25
    26   Q.   --- recruitment difficulties?
    27        A.  In certain areas of the London and the South.
    28
    29   Q.   Particularly in London and the South?
    30        A.  Well, Carmel says "particular London and South".
    31        I think there were other areas of the country where we had
    32        equal difficulty.  Of course, she was addressing herself to
    33        the Inner London Education Authority which would only
    34        affect London and the South.
    35
    36   Q.   Actually this letter is three months before that press
    37        report in the Financial Times we were looking at just
    38        previously.
    39        A.  I will take your word for it.   I do not know.
    40
    41   Q.   It is dated June 14th 1989, so it was something of a
    42        continuing problem; it was not just a blip of a couple of
    43        weeks or something like that?
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I do not suppose it would be noticed if it
    46        was an acute problem for just a short period.
    47        A.  We always had some difficult areas in London and the
    48        South that have been difficult to -----
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Why do you not put what point you are making 
    51        about the difficulty in recruiting? 
    52 
    53   MS. STEEL:   The point I am making is that Mr. Nicholson said
    54        they have never had a problem recruiting, difficulty in
    55        recruiting staff?
    56        A.  That was a general statement for the company as a
    57        whole, but there have always been areas within the company
    58        that have been difficult.  London in particular has one or
    59        two places where it is extremely difficult to recruit.
    60

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