Day 209 - 25 Jan 96 - Page 15


     
     1
     2   Q.   Yes.
     3        A.  Sorry, have we not got to that stage yet -- that was --
     4        what I am saying there is that on a Saturday morning you
     5        would have an awful lot of people starting at 10 o'clock
     6        and 11 o'clock.
     7
     8   Q.   Yes.  I think you have anticipated where we have got to.
     9        Read on for a bit.
    10
    11   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  "On many occasions employees worked more than
    12        six hours without a rest.  Drinks breaks were given when
    13        possible, but due to the pressure of work employees would
    14        only get a minute or two to have their drink before they
    15        had to get back to work.  They were never able to sit in
    16        the crew room and relax for such breaks, but were expected
    17        to stand in the office.
    18
    19        "For example, it was common practice every Saturday for
    20        most people who started at 10.00, 10.30 to be pressurised
    21        into going on their breaks almost immediately, sometimes
    22        before they had even clocked in".
    23        A.  This almost immediately, I think -----
    24
    25   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause.  Can you read the rest of that
    26        paragraph first?
    27
    28   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  "When they returned, they would often have to
    29        work from about 11.00, 11.30 a.m. to around 6.00 or 7 p.m.
    30        without a break during the busiest period of the week.
    31        This also happened with employees scheduled to start at
    32        11.00 a.m."
    33
    34   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause there.  When you were saying about
    35        you could coerce people to go on breaks early and talked
    36        about putting them on fries on Saturdays and at the back
    37        when they preferred the front and vice versa, was that in
    38        relation -----
    39        A.  That was in relation to that, yes, that is right.
    40
    41   Q.   Thank you.
    42
    43   MR. MORRIS:  "Almost all the Managers, including myself, were
    44        party to this abuse as it was essential to get as many
    45        breaks out of the way as possible.  From noon until early
    46        evening it was likely to be extremely busy with very few
    47        opportunities to send people on breaks.
    48
    49        "In my five years at McDonald's, Bath, this situation was
    50        never resolved as it was not seen as a problem, but instead 
    51        good Manager practice". 
    52 
    53        The next section is "Performance reviews":  "These were
    54        supposed to be completed two weeks" -----
    55        A.  This is wrong by the way.
    56
    57   Q.   OK.  Just explain how it is wrong?
    58        A.  Well, it should be three weeks.  I made a mistake
    59        there, but the other one, it should be four months.  It is
    60        supposed to be completed three weeks after commencing

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