Day 167 - 02 Oct 95 - Page 32
1 time you have asked that, and in answer you have said --
2 you have not actually used the word "no" -- that they would
3 do something which is different to what is being put to
4 you.
5
6 MS. STEEL: It does not exclude what I am putting.
7
8 MR. JUSTICE BELL: No, it does not. So I was going to put it
9 straight to him. If Head Office formed a view, correctly
10 or not, provisional or not, and thought there might be room
11 for cutting the hours, would they tell the Manager to cut
12 the hours?
13 A. As long as it did not interfere with the levels of
14 quality, service and cleanliness and customer satisfaction,
15 yes.
16
17 Q. So they give him a command: "Cut the hours"? That is what
18 is being put to you.
19 A. Yes, but it is in addition to what is being projected
20 for the following week. It is .....
21
22 Q. What is being put to you is that if Head Office thought
23 hours were excessive, they would just order the Manager:
24 "Cut the hours". Is there any difficulty about
25 understanding that?
26 A. No, there is no difficulty in understanding that.
27
28 Q. Is that what happened? That is what you are being asked.
29 A. They would look at the information. That is what I am
30 trying to explain. They would have to look at other
31 information. It is not just the number of hours used; it
32 would be -- it is against the projected sales.
33
34 MS. STEEL: But after having looked at all the other matters
35 that they might want to look at, if they felt the labour
36 hours were excessive, they could tell the store Managers to
37 cut the number of hours?
38 A. But it would be with discussion with them; it would not
39 just be: "Cut 20 hours off here".
40
41 Q. No, after they have made the enquiries or whatever.
42 A. And discussions and looking to see where the hours
43 could be saved, yes.
44
45 Q. Right.
46
47 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Who would actually do that with the Manager?
48 A. The Area Supervisor would be the likely person. They
49 would review the projects and the hours used.
50
51 Q. I have put: "There will be discussion with the Manager,
52 probably the Area Supervisor with the Manager, and if after
53 discussion he thought the hours should be cut, he would
54 tell the Manager so". Is that what you are saying?
55 A. Well, there would be an agreement as to where they
56 would be cut as well.
57
58 MS. STEEL: When you started at McDonald's you started as a
59 trainee Manager; is that right?
60 A. That is right.
