Day 169 - 04 Oct 95 - Page 48


     
     1        can talk to the press but the crew cannot, is it not?
     2        A.  Well, local Managers can talk to the press in relation
     3        to certain elements of their job, yes, but if it is in
     4        relation to the Company, in general terms, then it should
     5        be directed to East Finchley and not dealt by a Store
     6        Manager at a local branch.
     7
     8   Q.   Do you remember you said something about employees
     9        subsequently being misquoted or quoted out of context?  Are
    10        we talking about crew members here or talking about
    11        Managers?
    12        A.  As far as I can recall, in the particular instance I am
    13        talking about, it was a Manager that had actually said
    14        something to the press.  It was not a major issue.  It was
    15        just something very minor, but the press misquoted what
    16        they had actually said and they put it out of context.
    17
    18   Q.   Do you know what it was that he said that had been
    19        misquoted?
    20        A.  Not -----
    21
    22   Q.   What the issue was?
    23        A.  I think it was just something to do with an incident
    24        within the store in relation to two customers having a
    25        fight, to the best of my knowledge.
    26
    27   Q.   Are you concerned about the fact that -- I will ask that
    28        question again -----
    29
    30   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is this point really very significant because
    31        whether there is anything sinister in it might depend upon
    32        whether the Corporation concerned has anything to hide or
    33        not, and that just takes us back to the more direct issues,
    34        does it not?
    35
    36   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  That is why I was going to take it further.
    37
    38   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  At the moment it seems to me it is a very
    39        secondary matter.  Whether it is because they have
    40        something to hide or whether it is because they feel they
    41        have received unfair treatment by misquoting or taking out
    42        of context really depends, at the end of the day, on what
    43        I make about the other more direct issues, does it not?
    44
    45   MR. MORRIS:  We would say that McDonald's have absolutely no
    46        right to intimidate its staff from talking to the press,
    47        but that is a general point which we can ask you to draw a
    48        conclusion later on.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If you have intimidation, fair enough. 
    51 
    52   MR. MORRIS:  It is threats of their jobs so it is intimidation. 
    53        That would be our argument at the end of the day.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Again think about it when you come to make a
    56        comment because I would have thought that again very much
    57         -- for instance, I would have thought most people would
    58        not take exception to the proposition that if an individual
    59        person or employing person or employing company has had
    60        what is said distorted time and time again could perfectly

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