Day 150 - 07 Jul 95 - Page 24


     
     1        your experience?
     2        A.  Yes.  It is a matter of working together as a
     3        restaurant team.  The restaurant will not function with one
     4        person, whether that person is set up in an office in
     5        Sutton Coalfield or is one person such as myself now within
     6        the region, as a Regional Manager rather; it is very, very
     7        important that the restaurant works together.  We cannot
     8        work without people's commitment, whether it be in
     9        scheduling or whatever else we might want to discuss.
    10
    11   Q.   Are you able to say whether that was the vision, i.e. that
    12        the views of crew were taken into account when it comes to
    13        Colchester when you were Area Supervisor?
    14        A.  Yes.
    15
    16   Q.   How do you know that?
    17        A.  Because I would talk to them.  I would be working with
    18        them in all areas.  Believe me, they would tell me.  There
    19        were some particularly strong willed, strong minded
    20        individuals, older people than me, at the time at 25 years
    21        of age; there were some housewives of 30, 32, perhaps, even
    22        some older individual in there who were -- they would not
    23        stand for some youngster, for want of a better word, coming
    24        in and dictating to them what hours they should work.
    25        There would be absolute uproar.
    26
    27   Q.   Sorry, when I am turning away from you, it is not that I am
    28        not interested in what you are saying, it is just that I am
    29        checking some things.  You have told us why you think that
    30        it is necessary to take the views of crew into account.  Am
    31        I right in saying that co-operation, so far as you are
    32        concerned, is better than compulsion?
    33        A.  Co-operation would always be a better option, far
    34        better.  It just makes for a far smoother running business,
    35        a far smoother and more contented restaurant team.
    36
    37   Q.   Are people compelled to work hours they do not want to
    38        work?
    39        A.  No, they are not.
    40
    41   Q.   Can you say whether they were in relation to Colchester
    42        back in the mid 180s?
    43        A.  They were not compelled to work any hours.  There is
    44        not a vision of us making people work certain hours in some
    45        form of dictatorial position in all of this.  There were
    46        plenty of, if I can remember rightly, opportunities for
    47        people to work in other service sectors, other restaurant
    48        chains.  They just would not come to work if we adopted
    49        that sort of attitude with them; it is not a way to run a
    50        business. 
    51 
    52   Q.   I am sorry to ask you this again, but it is important:  How 
    53        do you know what you are saying about Colchester is true?
    54        A.  Only having two restaurants at the time, and being in
    55        the Colchester restaurants specifically for three, two or
    56        three days a week, then not only will I hear and talk about
    57        comments, but I was also there as part of my job
    58        responsibilities in terms of more administrative side of
    59        it, office functions in terms of checking payroll, checking
    60        the scheduling, or whatever else those sort of

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