Day 247 - 10 May 96 - Page 23
1 personnel, or what we now call Human Resources functions,
2 on a free-standing individual basis.
3
4 Obviously, as a top management relationship partner, I will
5 work through their local management if they have an issue
6 or a problem and spend time with them, but, for the most
7 part, they are free-standing.
8
9 Q. Just this one paragraph I am going to ask you about, if you
10 have any experience to give. It is paragraph 8?
11 A. 8?
12
13 Q. He talks about various countries in paragraph 5 and 7,
14 Germany, Spain, Holland, Australia, Italy, France, and then
15 he says in paragraph 8:
16
17 "These European countries have no equivalent of the Wages
18 Council in the United Kingdom nor is there any" -- which of
19 course now does not apply anyway to McDonald's in the
20 United Kingdom" -- nor is there any equivalent legislation
21 which protects the minimum wage of employees. The only
22 protection is the negotiated tariffs set by the Employees'
23 Association and the union coalition by negotiation and
24 bargaining."
25
26 Do you know if that is -- I know it is a bit difficult
27 identifying exactly which countries he is referring to,
28 but, as a general view, is the situation the same now as it
29 was when Mr. Copeland made this statement in June 1993?
30 A. Is it the same? I do not know for sure. I know there
31 have been numerous changes come about under the legislation
32 called the Social Chapter. I am not familiar with every
33 line of that which is contained in there. I know Britain
34 has opted out of the Social Chapter for now, but I do not
35 know, again, what is happening day in and day out in
36 Germany. Has it changed since then? I do not know.
37
38 Q. But you would accept what he says up to June 1993 anyway?
39 A. I have no reason to doubt what he is saying is right.
40
41 Q. Right.
42 A. Or certainly his opinion at the time.
43
44 Q. Right. We can put his statement away. Thank you.
45
46 The wage -- the basic wage rate of McDonald's currently --
47 sorry, Helen is going to ----
48
49 MS. STEEL: Last time you were here -- I mean the last time in
50 June 1994/July 1994, you said that the current starting
51 wage was £3.10 an hour approximately. Do you remember
52 that?
53 A. I think it was, yes.
54
55 Q. I think that is in outer London, actually?
56 A. That was the inner or outer London rate, yes. There may
57 at the time have been an over-18/under-18 or North of
58 England/South of England rate.
59
60 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I recollect you gave one or two figures and
