Day 207 - 23 Jan 96 - Page 43
1 MS. STEEL: Is the number -----
2
3 MR. JUSTICE BELL: As a matter of general interest, do you see
4 the name of a firm in the answer above? You need not read
5 it out.
6 A. I do, yes.
7
8 Q. What line of business are they in?
9 A. They are in a burger -- they are a burger bar,
10 basically. They are a small company who operate two
11 outlets within Bath.
12
13 Q. Yes, very well.
14 A. I think that may be, you know, a matter of taste,
15 I think.
16
17 MS. STEEL: Can I just ask: in your statement, the bit
18 about, "I cannot say for certain that the staffing levels
19 were always exactly what was needed to provide the required
20 standard of service", just to clarify, are you saying there
21 that the service was put before -- the service was what
22 everything was decided upon?
23 A. You would staff the restaurant on an hourly basis, so
24 that you could serve people to the correct standard --
25
26 Q. Do you see on -- sorry.
27 A. -- the staff level, staff the restaurant safely, there
28 is enough, you know, people within the restaurant to serve
29 the customers.
30
31 Q. Right. Do you see on page 221 where it says under "Job
32 image", the fourth question: "What could be done to make
33 McDonald's a better place to work?" It says: "Less
34 emphasis on taking money, and more on service". Do you
35 remember that comment when you had read these notes?
36 A. No, I do not.
37
38 Q. Does it surprise you to see that there?
39 A. I think that they have had competitions based on,
40 service competitions based on hourly records of the tills,
41 so I think that is why.
42
43 Q. The crew were concerned that they were raking in lots of
44 money before the service to the customer?
45
46 MR. JUSTICE BELL: I am not sure you can read it that way. I
47 mean, the question is: "What could be done to make
48 McDonald's a better place to work?" and the answer we can
49 read.
50
51 MS. STEEL: It is just that the Plaintiffs have continued to
52 say that it is all set by service, whatever. The hours,
53 the number of staff and duty is set by what they need to
54 provide.
55
56 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I am a bit bothered by this line of
57 cross-examination, not because there is anything Mr. Henden
58 should not answer questions about, but it seems to road on
59 a somewhat false basis. What is actually being put are
60 somebody's notes of what one or more people said at a rap
