Day 195 - 04 Dec 95 - Page 48


     
     1
     2   Q.   -- there is a sentence:  "Some people who were asked too
     3        often to go home did in fact get quite cross and would
     4        refuse to go"?
     5        A.  That is right.
     6
     7   Q.   "Even if refused, they were sent home nevertheless.
     8        I often overheard Managers instructing their deputies to
     9        pick on a particular crew member to be sent home", and so
    10        on.  What do you mean by the word "often"?
    11        A.  I mean, when it happened that the store was not as busy
    12        as they expected it, I heard Managers instructing others to
    13        pick on some crew members to send home.
    14
    15   Q.   I am interested in the Managers who gave the instruction.
    16        A.  Yes.
    17
    18   Q.   Can you tell us who gave that instruction?
    19        A.  Who gave the instructions to the Managers?
    20
    21   Q.   No, you said you overheard Managers instructing their
    22        deputies to pick on a particular crew member to be sent
    23        home, for example, with a creased uniform or needing a hair
    24        cut.
    25        A.  I would say any Manager was under pressure to do that,
    26        and the people that I have specifically got in mind who
    27        were more willingly, who would more willingly do that, are
    28        like Trudie Jones and Mark, the Store Manager, himself.
    29
    30   Q.   You heard Mark Davies saying this, did you?
    31        A.  Yes.
    32
    33   Q.   Why did you not put any of these names into your statement?
    34        A.  Because I regarded the management as a collective body
    35        then.  I did not regard it as one person decides to do
    36        that.  I would regard them as being under pressure in
    37        management -- any Manager would have done that, in my
    38        opinion.  That is why I used the collective noun there.
    39
    40   Q.   Can you turn now, please, to your second statement?
    41        A.  Yes.
    42
    43   Q.   Turn to the second page, the third paragraph:  "I remember
    44        somebody actually having their hours cut but I cannot
    45        remember his name.  However, I do remember that Simon
    46        Gibney was the Manager in charge of time schedules and he
    47        gave a cut to this man because he did not stay after the
    48        shift ended.  He was under 18 and his hours were cut from
    49        20 to 40 hours a week and he left."  You do not remember to
    50        whom that happened?  Is that right? 
    51        A.  No, I do not. 
    52 
    53   Q.   How do you know that it did happen?
    54        A.  Because if you are working with others in that sort of
    55        environment when you are in close touch every day, unless
    56        they are lying and you know they are lying, you take their
    57        word for it, and that is what the person, you know, people
    58        who to whom this happened were telling me, including Simon
    59        Gibney.
    60

Prev Next Index