Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 35


     
     1        unions?
     2        A.  Yes, I was telephoned by Radio Four, a reporter for the
     3        morning programme, between half six and 9 o'clock and he
     4        asked what our position was regarding unions.  I told him
     5        what our stand was, that we prefer to negotiate with our
     6        people direct and that we dislike the idea of third party
     7        intervention.  That was, in fact, broadcast; I heard the
     8        broadcast in my car.  It was fairly innocuous.
     9
    10   Q.   In your time with the company has there been, so far as you
    11        are aware, anything that one might describe as a run-in or
    12        a confrontation with any of the unions in this country?
    13        A.  No.
    14
    15   Q.   Going back to specific matters about unions, Mr. Nicholson,
    16        the Defendants say, and I am going to try to do it
    17        chronologically -- my Lord this is passage 95 on page
    18        34 -- "In or around 1985 at Hackney McDonald's when
    19        employees attempted to organise an inner union, the
    20        active" -- sorry, I read that completely wrong.  I will
    21        read it again.  "In or around 1985 in Hackney McDonald's
    22        when employees attempted to organise inner union, the
    23        active members were sacked."
    24        A.  No, it never happened.
    25
    26   Q.   Not true?
    27        A.  Not true.
    28
    29   Q.   Did anything happen in or around 1985 at the Hackney
    30        McDonald's that you can recall?
    31        A.  Yes.
    32
    33   Q.   What?
    34        A.  I received a telephone call from the manager saying
    35        that some of the crew people wanted to talk to me about
    36        union representation, and would I be prepared to come and
    37        address them.  I went to Hackney.  There were only eight or
    38        nine crew people at the meeting, which was hardly
    39        representative of the crew which must have been somewhere
    40        between 80 and 100.  I told them exactly what the company's
    41        position was, that if they wanted to join a union they were
    42        quite welcome to join a union.  We could not stop them from
    43        joining a union, it was their right to join, but the
    44        company would not be prepared to negotiate the wages or
    45        conditions of service with that union.  We preferred to
    46        deal with them the crew direct.  The meeting was very
    47        light-hearted.  Of the eight or nine people that were
    48        I think perhaps two were really serious in their intention
    49        and the rest laughed it off eventually.  The meeting lasted
    50        about 45 minutes, hardly that. 
    51 
    52   Q.   What if you had sacked those eight or nine or more for 
    53        wanting to join a union, what would have been the
    54        consequence of that?
    55        A.  Well, I would have thought that they would have gone to
    56        industrial tribunal immediately.
    57
    58   Q.   Have you been taken to an industrial tribunal on that
    59        ground?
    60        A.  No.

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