Day 142 - 26 Jun 95 - Page 41
1 Q. But the employers have to?
2 A. Absolutely.
3
4 Q. Are you aware, as pleaded (which you have just read the
5 pleadings), about any legal action brought by the union
6 against McDonald's over its employment practices around
7 this time in the mid-1980s?
8 A. I am aware, in general, that there was litigation that
9 McDonald's brought against the union and litigation that
10 the union brought against McDonald's. I have some general
11 knowledge that there were legal cases, if you will,
12 occurring during that time.
13
14 Q. McDonald's legal action was, was it not, to stop the union
15 distributing leaflets to employees or the public -- at one
16 stage anyway?
17 A. The leaflet thing, I have no idea about that. I have
18 no knowledge on that.
19
20 Q. What was the legal action taken by the NGG regarding
21 employment practices?
22 A. I really do not know. I just know that there was
23 litigation. The relationship between the two, as I think
24 Eva mentioned, was not a normal one and there were problems
25 in working together at that time.
26
27 Q. Regarding the works council's disputes, was it true to say
28 that the union launched a publicity campaign over this
29 issue? Is that what she means by "fought out in the
30 media"?
31 A. I am aware that the union was in the media concerning
32 various things. I know there was media coverage concerning
33 the dispute.
34
35 Q. Then at some period following that, pretty soon after that,
36 she took over responsibility for personnel and made some
37 agreement with the union; is that where she came on the
38 scene?
39 A. Oh, Eva has been an employee of McDonald's in Germany
40 for a long, long time. Prior to 86, I am almost positive
41 that she had Human Resource responsibilities prior to 86.
42 Eva is a long-term McDonald's person. I believe she
43 started similar to people that I have talked about
44 earlier. I believe Eva started as a crew person and worked
45 her way up through the organisation.
46
47 Q. She says she took over responsibility for personnel in
48 Germany on a nationwide basis in 1986?
49 A. She may have been promoted at that time to the top
50 person.
51
52 Q. If you look at the letter that is included at the back of
53 her statement -----
54
55 MR. JUSTICE BELL: What she says she did was she joined
56 McDonald's in 1976, became a Store Manager in 1979 in
57 Hamburg which is northern Germany, of course. In 1982 she
58 joined the Personnel Department ---
59 A. There it is.
60
