Day 154 - 13 Jul 95 - Page 38


     
     1        with the customers, which is, I think, generally what they
     2        did on that one occasion.
     3
     4   Q.   Unless you are content that they should do that all the
     5        time?
     6        A.  No.  I believe that it is the law that you should have
     7        a stipulated place, and in McDonald's -----
     8
     9   Q.   It is obviously very unsatisfactory ---
    10        A.  Yes, it was.
    11
    12   Q.   -- if the room is locked, unless there is absolutely no
    13        alternative for some reason?
    14        A.  I would agree with that wholeheartedly, sir, yes.
    15
    16   Q.   That was your own attitude, was it?
    17        A.  It was.
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Just sit down, and then stand up when you
    20        want to ask another question.  (Pause)
    21
    22   MS. STEEL:   Why were there crew working more than 39 hours a
    23        week in your store, in contravention of Company policy?
    24        A.  I did not understand it to be absolutely strict Company
    25        policy.  I understood it to be a guideline that you should
    26        aim for.
    27
    28   Q.   Well, why was it that the guideline was regularly being
    29        ignored?  Were you asked to investigate the reasons, take
    30        any action, or anything like that?
    31        A.  Nobody considered it to be major problem, although
    32        I may have had discussions with the area supervisor in
    33        order to keep it generally the rule that people did not
    34        work past 39 hours apart from, probably, the floor
    35        managers.
    36
    37   Q.   But they did not threaten to discipline you if you did not
    38        make sure that they stopped working over 39 hours on a
    39        regular basis?
    40        A.  No.
    41
    42   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do you ever remember even being told: "You
    43        have to try and keep hours down to not more than 39", even
    44        something -- was anything like that said at all?
    45        A.  Yes, there were discussions about generally trying to
    46        keep the hours below 39, definitely, yes, but certainly not
    47        in the direction of, you know, disciplinary action or
    48        anything of that nature.  It was not perceived to be a
    49        problem if it was just two or three people working longer
    50        than 39 hours. 
    51 
    52   MS. STEEL:  Each week? 
    53        A.  Yes.
    54
    55   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Did anyone ever explain to you why there
    56        should be such a policy?  You were working 50 hours
    57        yourself; you might have thought that someone who was young
    58        and fit could handle 42 or 43, or even 50, without too much
    59        trouble?  I do not know, did you think they could handle 40
    60        hours, up to, say, 40 hours without too much problem?

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