Day 202 - 11 Jan 96 - Page 38


     
     1        A.  I was senior Supervisor when he left the Company.
     2
     3   Q.   Mike Guerin?
     4        A.  Yes.
     5
     6   Q.   What was his position?
     7        A.  He was Operations Manager.  I think there may have been
     8        some confusion from things that I have read.  The Senior
     9        Supervisor position disappeared later and became the
    10        Operations Manager position, so the hierarchy contracted by
    11        one grade.  So above Supervisor there was to be an interim
    12        position which was Senior Supervisor, which then went into
    13        Operations Manager and the Senior Supervisor position
    14        disappeared, so it moved to supervisors reporting into
    15        Operations Manager.
    16
    17   Q.   So was Mike Guerin your immediate superior?
    18        A.  Yes, he was.
    19
    20   Q.   You talked, in the previous document, about the number of
    21        managers leaving and dismissals.  If a Manager was going to
    22        be dismissed, could the Supervisor do that without your
    23        knowledge or say so?
    24        A.  No, if it got to a stage where someone had to be
    25        dismissed it would be referred to the Human Resources
    26        department and to myself to make sure that everything was
    27        OK.  The dismissals here is, you know, if we are talking
    28        about gross misconduct, or something like that, where --
    29        you have to assess that within Neil's review, would be
    30        appropriate.
    31
    32   Q.   So, would you be involved throughout -- I do not mean you
    33        personally but someone in your position -- would you have
    34        been involved throughout in any disciplinary process of
    35        managers, or would you only become involved if they were
    36        actually about to be dismissed?
    37        A.  It would depend on what disciplinary procedure was
    38        happening.  If it was something, say, where a trainee
    39        Manager or a Second Assistant received a verbal warning for
    40        something that was a minor, then it would be unlikely that
    41        I would be involved greatly in that and then it would be
    42        mentioned to me.  If it was a restaurant Manager, it is
    43        more likely that I would have been consulted; but for a
    44        warning to be given out there has to be consultation with
    45        the Human Resources Department to make sure everything is
    46        OK, and there are correct grounds to do that.
    47
    48   Q.   I am finding it really difficult to think straight and keep
    49        a train of thought.
    50 
    51   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I will rise for five minutes, but we must be 
    52        very near the end. 
    53
    54   MS. STEEL:  I have not got many questions.
    55
    56   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  We will finish Mr. Atherton's evidence this
    57        evening, but I will come back at quarter to four.  In the
    58        meantime, you will think about it.
    59
    60                         (Short adjournment)

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