Day 179 - 30 Oct 95 - Page 47


     
     1
     2   Q.   Would disciplinary action -- I mean, could that include
     3        being sacked -- perhaps not, you know, immediately -- if
     4        there was not any improvement or something like that?
     5        A.  You could put someone back on to probation for three
     6        weeks and then, after that three weeks, sack them, yes.
     7
     8   MS. STEEL:   OK.  Thank you.
     9
    10   MR. MORRIS:  Mr. Rampton said something about the targets -- let
    11        us focus on the labour rate -- and asked you whether they
    12        were something you should not go above or something that
    13        you should just aim for; and you said in your statement
    14        that the total of hours used was always below the allowed
    15        labour rate of around 15 per cent.  You have talked about
    16        other targets as being set targets or imposed targets.
    17
    18        Could you just clarify what you mean by, say, a labour
    19        target and what happens if you went above the labour
    20        target?
    21        A.  The labour target is looked at regularly by the Manager
    22        during the week, and sometimes it would have -- on a
    23        Sunday, the Manager would realise that the labour rate for
    24        the week was going to be too high; and you would run very
    25        shortstaffed at times to try and bring it down during that
    26        last Sunday for the week.
    27
    28   Q.   Why did it matter; why did you have to bring it down?
    29        A.  Pressure from above to -- you just did not go over the
    30        allowed labour rate or the targeted labour rate.
    31
    32   Q.   Because?
    33        A.  The Manager would obviously be spoken to by his
    34        Supervisor.
    35
    36   MR. RAMPTON:  The witness has already said in cross-examination
    37        that he cannot prove this.  He has already said that.
    38
    39   MR. MORRIS:  How did you know that this was a strict target?
    40        A.  The way it was rigidly kept to.
    41
    42   Q.   Was it discussed at management meetings, for example?
    43        A.  No, because it was not a case of that.  We were not
    44        ever likely to go over it, so we would not need to.  It was
    45        just known that the labour must stay below the allowed
    46        percentage.
    47
    48   Q.   You saw the Accident Book -- well, briefly looked at it.
    49        You said that the accidents that went in the book would be
    50        serious ones.  Were you aware of every serious accident 
    51        going in the book, or were there accidents that did not go 
    52        in the book? 
    53        A.  I would not know.  I made sure, when I was working,
    54        that any serious ones did.
    55
    56   Q.   You said about the undercooked burgers having a bloody
    57        centre and that is how you knew they had been undercooked.
    58        How did you know that?  Did you see that yourself; did
    59        customers bring them back?
    60        A.  A customer would bring one back once they had bitten

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