Day 143 - 27 Jun 95 - Page 50


     
     1   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Look, let me take over for a moment and then
     2        you can come back.  Do you know whether the union wanted,
     3        but McDonald's rejected, a provision that all part-time
     4        employees should be employed for a fix guaranteed income
     5        based on a fixed number of hours per week or month?
     6        A.  My Lord, I cannot help you.
     7
     8   Q.   In other words, they had a guaranteed minimum income based
     9        on a guaranteed minimum of hours?
    10        A.  My Lord, I did not -- I was not in the negotiations.
    11
    12   Q.   Do you know whether there was in the industry apart from
    13        McDonald's a practice to that effect, that part-time
    14        workers ---
    15        A.  No, I do not.
    16
    17   Q.   -- should have such a provision in their favour?
    18        A.  I do not, no, my Lord.
    19
    20   MR. MORRIS:  I think Mr. Stein had said -- I might have got the
    21        country wrong -- something to the effect that the union
    22        wanted to sack all the part-time employees?
    23        A.  That I knew.
    24
    25   Q.   Right, and you said that because -----
    26        A.  That they wanted to sack part-time employees?
    27
    28   Q.   Yes, well -----
    29        A.  Not necessarily all of them.
    30
    31   Q.   The reality is, is it not, Mr. Stein, that that was not the
    32        aim of the union?  The aim of the union was to get
    33        McDonald's to comply with the protection afforded by the
    34        agreement that applied to the rest of industry, including a
    35        minimum income for those that are in part-time employment?
    36        A.  I disagree with that.  I know that the employees, in
    37        particular one of the stores, Mike Thorell's store, were
    38        very upset over that.  In fact, I think, if I recall, they
    39        circulated or passed in a petition because they did not
    40        want to be sacked and the union's demand, one of the
    41        union's demand ------
    42
    43   Q.   Who told them they would be sacked?
    44
    45   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You must let him finish, first of all.
    46        A.  One of the union's demands would have required them to
    47        be sacked.  That is what I do recall.
    48
    49   MR. MORRIS:  Did employees rise up against having a protection
    50        of having a guaranteed income even though they were 
    51        part-time? 
    52        A.  I can tell ----- 
    53
    54   Q.   Did they complain about that provision in the agreement?
    55        A.  Sir, I can only tell you what I heard, what I observed,
    56        what I witnessed.  I can tell you what was of concern to
    57        the employees in that restaurant at that time.
    58
    59   Q.   Who told them they would be sacked under the union's -----
    60        A.  I have no idea.  All I know is that that was a commonly

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