Day 134 - 13 Jun 95 - Page 50
1 the family on their own and so on, but if you mean that if
2 people have to have responsibility for child care and
3 working as well, and the difficulties that can present,
4 then certainly I accept that that is so, for parents to
5 find ways to work and earn an income as well -- to look
6 after the children and earn an income.
7
8 Q. In the London Greenpeace fact sheet we say: "Disadvantaged
9 groups, women and black people especially, are even more
10 exploited by industry than they are already." I would put
11 it to you that part of the exploitation of women is the
12 very low income that most women have and their
13 responsibility for having children, and that is something
14 that McDonald's takes advantage of in recruiting from those
15 people?
16 A. I do not accept that because the other side of that
17 would be to say that: "Well, we specifically should not
18 recruit those people because we would be doing something
19 wrong by doing that". So, if those people want to go out
20 to work, why should we not be able to offer them
21 employment?
22
23 Q. Why should you not be able to offer them decent money
24 instead of the wages that you do pay?
25 A. The rates -- I am sure we will never agree on the
26 rates, but certainly we offer women the same rates of pay
27 as we offer men which, as you will see and I dare say you
28 will see in more detail when you peruse the survey, it is
29 amazing to me that those two figures can be so different
30 between females' and males' earnings but that is so in
31 McDonald's.
32
33 Q. Yes, but McDonald's wages are still below the average
34 women's earnings in whatever the criteria was, it was still
35 bottom?
36 A. I think, well, if you want to ask me a question
37 to ----
38
39 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Could I ask you again about the question of
40 the number of women with children who might be employed
41 with McDonald's? I can see that the Manager will get to
42 know, or may very well get to know, whether a woman has
43 children just in general conversation, or if a woman
44 applies for a job, whether or not the Manager asks any
45 question about her family setup, she may volunteer why she
46 has come to McDonald's. That may involve revealing the
47 fact she has children.
48
49 I think I am entitled to assume that women with children or
50 other domestic obligations which tie them down rather might
51 be more inclined to look for part-time work than full-time
52 work. It will not necessarily follow but there will be a
53 number of women who, for one reason or another, which may
54 include domestic obligations, will be looking for part-time
55 work.
56
57 So, it would not surprise me if McDonald's employs a number
58 of women with young children. But, apart from those two
59 factors, what the Manager gets to know and the inherent
60 probability of the matter, as I understand it, there is no
