Day 197 - 07 Dec 95 - Page 37
1 A. Well, only the two points, one where covering the
2 (inaudible) and the crew hours being docked; we have
3 already actually stated that that was investigated and the
4 person was disciplined for that, although at that
5 particular time he was trying to get Sally Spurgeon to
6 actually say that I had instructed her to do that, because
7 at that particular time he was trying to find a reason to
8 sack me, which was not the case.
9
10 Also, his last comments where he has actually put that he
11 felt I could not run the restaurant, obviously, it is
12 fully documented right the way through my career that I
13 was running the restaurant and I was achieving the aims.
14 So I thought that was his personal view, bearing the fact
15 that we did have a personal grievance between each other.
16 So, I feel that had no bearing on what was actually
17 happening in the store.
18
19 MR. MORRIS: Thank you very much.
20
21
22
23 Cross-Examined by Mr. Rampton Q.C.
24
25 Q. Mr. Coton, I would like you to find, if you will, your
26 statements which, I think, are in the blue volume that has
27 a pale blue spine on it, No. II at tab 32, first. I am
28 looking at your first statement which is dated 25th
29 October 1995. I would like you to look, please, at
30 paragraph numbered (4) "Trade Unions". You write: "It
31 was clear to me that the Company did not want any union
32 activity. This was an unwritten rule. Crew seriously
33 thinking of this would have been removed. I was present
34 when some of the workers discussed setting up the
35 McDonald's Freedom Fighters. The idea started as a joke
36 in a pub. But the Company took this very seriously and I
37 was told to sack some of those involved under the pretext
38 that they were a 'disruptive influence'. I did not agree
39 with this and I later rehired one of them, Paul Jackson",
40 yes?
41 A. Right.
42
43 Q. So you agree, do you, with Simon Gibney that Paul Jackson
44 was one of those who was sacked under a pretext for being
45 a disruptive member of the McDonald's Freedom Fighters?
46 A. Paul Jackson was one of a number of people that were
47 involved in that.
48
49 Q. Do you agree that the others, and you have said that you
50 have read and you have confirmed the accuracy of
51 Mr. Gibney's statement, are Robert Pilgrim, Phil Claydon,
52 Julian Keo and Omid Shafibeik?
53 A. That is correct. There were one or two others whose
54 names at the moment I cannot remember.
55
56 Q. Could you find in that same bundle, please, the statement
57 of Omid Shafibeik which is at tab 6 of the same bundle,
58 volume II of the light blue ones?
59 A. Yes.
60
