Day 180 - 31 Oct 95 - Page 20


     
     1        A.  Sorry.
     2
     3   Q.   Yes?
     4        A.  I advised him that if he were to join the TGWU, he
     5        would become a member of what we call the International
     6        Workers Branch, that is one -- the branch number is 1/1647,
     7        and I was the organising officer responsible for that and
     8        other catering branches of the TGWU.  Its membership at
     9        that time stood at around 1,000 hotel and catering
    10        employees, employed in hotels, restaurants, fast food
    11        units, primarily in greater London, but with locations
    12        including Heathrow, Gatwick.  It was the primary catering
    13        branch of the TGWU at that time.
    14
    15        So I told him about the branch, and all of these things
    16        that I would have mentioned would have been my standard
    17        presentation to new recruits of the union, people
    18        interested in joining, about the branch he would join and
    19        the benefits of joining.
    20
    21        But, as I indicated a moment ago, I also advised him on how
    22        and how not to recruit.  The key thing, I remember seeing
    23        this man in my office and I remember meeting him,
    24        particularly because we had not had many McDonald's workers
    25        coming to our office to actually ask for support and
    26        assistance.  I remember saying -----
    27
    28   Q.   Just pause there.
    29        A.  Yes.
    30
    31   Q.   Yes.
    32        A.  I remember saying to him:  "Be careful when you
    33        recruit, do it in your own time, do not do it in Company
    34        time and begin" ---
    35
    36   Q.   Just pause.  Yes?
    37        A.  -- "and begin with those people that you feel you can
    38        trust", and I gave him my card and I said:  "Get back to me
    39        if you need to".  We discussed the possibility at that
    40        point in time of leafleting that restaurant from outside.
    41
    42   MR. MORRIS:  Not by him but by the union, you mean?
    43        A.  Not by him but by the union.  It is not what he wanted,
    44        not what he wanted at all.  That was fine by me, because
    45        what the trade union wanted was people inside a McDonald's
    46        discussing trade unionism, its values, its potential, you
    47        know, with employees because they wanted to do it, not
    48        because we thought they needed it.  That is why I remember
    49        David McGee because he wanted to do it himself.  But I did
    50        caution him as I said:  "Be careful, do it in your own 
    51        time, start with people you can trust". 
    52 
    53        He was a student.  He was concerned about issues such as
    54        long hours, his working time, changes to his working time,
    55        health and safety issues and work pressure.  So off he went
    56        with his leaflets.  He signed a membership form that day,
    57        that afternoon.  He signed up, paid up and went off to do
    58        his recruiting.
    59
    60   Q.   Did he contact you after that?

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