Day 152 - 11 Jul 95 - Page 56
1
2 Q. While you were at Colchester did you notice any significant
3 signs of discord, discontent or dissatisfaction amongst the
4 crew?
5 A. Any signs?
6
7 Q. Yes, any significant signs; obviously you are going to get
8 the odd person who grumbles, but you can understand that.
9 A. No. Generally, I would say the crew members as a whole
10 were very happy in Colchester whilst I was there.
11
12 Q. Was it a nice place to work?
13 A. Yes, I felt there was a good team spirit in the
14 restaurant and everybody pulled together and seemed
15 relatively happy.
16
17 Q. What do you know about a group that, I think, called
18 themselves (or say they did) the McDonald's Freedom
19 Fighters? Does that ring any bells?
20 A. Yes, I believe this started initially when one night
21 there was about 15 skinheads. First of all, one skinhead
22 came into the restaurant and hit the person on the till; he
23 then went out, came back into the restaurant, jumped on to
24 the counter and kicked or went to kick the crew member on
25 the till.
26
27 Q. Do you remember the name of the crew member?
28 A. John McArthy. I managed to grab the skinhead who was
29 on the counter around the ankles and he fell off the
30 counter. It was proceeded by 14 or 15 skinheads come
31 rushing into the restaurant, then jumped over the counter
32 and started to, sort of, knock about the crew members who
33 were on the shift that night.
34
35 The four crew members who professed to be the McDonald's
36 Freedom Fighters, sort of, set it up from that moment and
37 it was a, sort of, a bit of a joke, both amongst themselves
38 and amongst the management team. I mean, they did carry it
39 a little bit too far for a sort of jovial sort of joke, and
40 that was it. It probably lasted, I do not know, two or
41 three days to a week; something like that.
42
43 Q. On that account, Mr. Davis, the Freedom Fighters were
44 nothing whatever to do with workers' rights or trade
45 unions?
46 A. Certainly not, no, as I remember it.
47
48 Q. Do you remember anything while you were there about
49 workers' rights or trade unions in any sort of collective
50 or organised way?
51 A. No, not in any collective or organised way.
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53 MS. STEEL: Can I just say that none of what Mr. Davis has just
54 said about the McDonald's Freedom Fighters was in his
55 statement. So we have not had any notice of that
56 whatsoever.
57
58 MR. RAMPTON: That is absolutely right. (To the witness):
59 Mr. Davis, when did you remember about the McDonald's
60 Freedom Fighters?
