Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 39


     
     1        A.  I think probably most people who are reasonably fit
     2        could probably manage up to 50 hours a week without too
     3        many problems.
     4
     5   Q.   What, in your mind, was the reason for not working more
     6        than 39?
     7        A.  I think in my mind the reason why was that 39 was a
     8        reasonable sort of working week, and if you have too many
     9        people sort of working 60 or 70 that would tend to mean
    10        there was not the flexibility within the crew and that the
    11        hours were not being evenly distributed, so you would have
    12        two people doing the job of one person.  But if it was, you
    13        know, 43 hours, then, really, I did not perceive it to be a
    14        problem.
    15
    16   MS. STEEL:  You do not recall any investigation by people higher
    17        up into what was going on at the Colchester store?  They
    18        were happy with it as long it did not go more than two or
    19        three people a week?
    20        A.  Yes.  They would look at it, and as long as it was, you
    21        know, possibly the floor managers and one or two others who
    22        had gone over and it was not a significant amount as in,
    23        you know, 50 or 60 hours, then we would discuss it.  But it
    24        was not like a major investigation or anything, no.
    25
    26   Q.   So they only saw it as a problem if it went over 50 hours?
    27        A.  I think they would have seen it as a problem if you had
    28        a large section of your crew working a significant amount
    29        of hours, probably -- above 50 would probably the sort of
    30        figure guideline they would look at as being a problem.
    31
    32   Q.   So if either there was a significant number of crew working
    33        more than 39 hours or there was a couple of individuals
    34        working 50 or more, it would be at that point when the
    35        management started to say -- sorry, the supervisors started
    36        to say, "What is going on here", and make some kind of
    37        investigation?
    38        A.  We would be continually looking at the crew levels,
    39        seeing that we have got enough crew to cover the hours and
    40        business that was there.  If he has too many crew working
    41        more than 50 hours, that is an indication that you have not
    42        got enough crew.  So, therefore, you would want to ask for
    43        more staff.  As I remember, it never got to the situation
    44        where crew were working over 50 hours on a regular basis.
    45
    46   MR. MORRIS:  When you say 39 hours, that is 39 paid hours, is it
    47        not?
    48        A.  Yes.
    49
    50   Q.   So, actually, if you take into consideration the breaks, 
    51        you would have to have add on, what is it, three-quarters 
    52        of an hour for eight hours or something, is it? 
    53        A.  The breaks were paid at the time I am talking about.
    54
    55   Q.   At that time.  But now, if somebody is working over 39
    56        hours or, indeed, if they are working over 50 hours, they
    57        are also on the premises at work, if you include breaks,
    58        for an extra maybe -----
    59
    60   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  An extra hour or so, probably, is it?

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