Day 203 - 12 Jan 96 - Page 28


     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just pause a moment, listen to the answer,
     2        then by all means have your discussion with Ms. Steel, but
     3        otherwise you may miss something which is important.
     4
     5   MR. MORRIS:  All right.
     6
     7   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What you were saying was you think on the
     8        occasions when you arranged to see him, pinning things
     9        down, deciding a conclusive course of action was extremely
    10        difficult.  Then I interrupted you.  Were you going to say
    11        anything more?
    12        A.  Yes, and I guess that it was not so much perhaps that
    13        he was avoiding me, rather that it was difficult to get him
    14        to sit down and face up to some of the issues and come up
    15        with a concrete plan of what to do, and I think that if you
    16        put that together with the fact that he was not there at
    17        critical time in the restaurant, then I think it could be
    18        that he was avoiding me.
    19
    20        I mean, it has since come to light that he applied for a
    21        job with the TSB in January.  You know, maybe he did not
    22        want to be there, maybe he was avoiding me.  But, you know,
    23        if I am turning up at the critical shifts, I make it clear
    24        to the Manager that I am going to be -- there is a
    25        possibility I am going to turn up at the critical shift,
    26        I make it clear to the Manager that I would like him to
    27        work the critical shifts in his restaurant, he is going to
    28        know more or less.  He is going to know that I am going to
    29        be looking for him to be there.
    30
    31   Q.   When was your appointment as Area Supervisor generally
    32        known in Colchester?
    33        A.  I would have thought it was the very day that it
    34        happened, you know, or -- yes, yes.
    35
    36   Q.   So there is no reason to suppose it was known when
    37        Mr. Coton applied for the TSB job?
    38        A.  No, but, you know, I think -- I recall there was some
    39        discussion about who was going to be the Manager of the
    40        Tolgate, and I think Mark did mention to Ray that he could
    41        possibly be the Manager of Tolgate but gave the job to me.
    42
    43   Q.   Was that a bigger store?
    44        A.  Well, it is prestigious to open a new restaurant and it
    45        is seen as, sort of, I think, a recognition that, you know,
    46        you are going to do it well.
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:  Ray Coton did not like you, did he, did not get on
    49        with you at all before you became Supervisor?
    50        A.  It would seem from his comments -- I do not know.  I 
    51        mean, I do not know what Ray Coton liked and disliked. 
    52 
    53   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Is that part of your case because
    54        "personality clashes can arise" can be a euphemism for
    55        just not having the same view of things.  You can have a
    56        personality clash with a boss who likes you to turn up at
    57        work on time; on the other hand, you can have a personality
    58        clash with a boss because you decide you do not like him
    59        before you have given him half a chance.  So, are you
    60        really putting to him that Ray Coton did not like

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