Day 173 - 16 Oct 95 - Page 40


     
     1        there.
     2
     3   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.  (To the witness) That would cover union
     4        literature leaflets?
     5        A.  It would cover all literature.
     6
     7   Q.   And union meetings?
     8        A.  All literature.
     9
    10   Q.   And union meetings?
    11        A.  All literature.
    12
    13   Q.   And meetings, unauthorised meetings?
    14        A.  I do not know what you mean by "meetings".
    15
    16   Q.   It says: "Holding unauthorised meetings on Company property
    17        is a disciplinary or dismissal offence."
    18        A.  In other words -----
    19
    20   Q.   So would that cover a union meeting?
    21        A.  It could cover any meeting.
    22
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It may be Mr. Morris is being very thorough,
    24        but he is just checking there can be no doubt that it
    25        covers union meetings and union literature?
    26        A.  Yes.  It covers all eventualities of any literature.
    27
    28   Q.   Let me just put it.  What is being suggested to you is that
    29        that particularly had in mind union meetings and union
    30        literature, rather than other meetings or other literature;
    31        that you were particularly keen to stop union meetings
    32        being held on the premises or union literature being
    33        distributed on the premises?
    34        A.  Yes.  I certainly did not want to lose control of my
    35        business.
    36
    37   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Just pause a moment.
    38
    39   MS. STEEL:   Just going back to what I was asking you about
    40        previously, you said that one of the reasons why you did
    41        not reply to the letters was because there was a lot of
    42        industrial strife and there were a lot of strikes at the
    43        time.  I did not really understand why that would prevent
    44        you answering the letter?
    45        A.  Well, for a couple of reasons.  There was already quite
    46        a few serious strikes in the country; second of all, the
    47        letter, from memory, did not identify anybody who was a
    48        member of the union; and if it was a serious complaint,
    49        I am sure they would have followed up to it.
    50 
    51   Q.   Can you just explain, if there are a lot of strikes in the 
    52        country, why that should mean that you would not want to 
    53        reply to the letters?
    54        A.  Well, from memory, I had conversations with some other
    55        business people who had union agreements, and they had had
    56        a particularly tough time in dealing with the union and
    57        running their business.
    58
    59   MR. JUSTICE BELL: It is fairly obvious to me -- but I will put
    60        it in case I am wrong -- it sounds to me as if you were

Prev Next Index