Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 09


     
     1        work for almost a year prior to that.
     2
     3   Q.   So your practical career as Head of Personnel lasted
     4        roughly seven years, 1984 ----
     5        A.  Yes, roughly seven years.
     6
     7   Q.   During that seven years, starting in October 1984, running
     8        through to 1991, how much of the operation of McDonald's
     9        restaurants did you see on the ground?
    10        A.  Considerable, because of the small number of staff
    11        I had, I spent a considerable amount of time in restaurants
    12        talking to staff.
    13
    14   Q.   All over the country?
    15        A.  All over the country.
    16
    17   Q.   I know this is a difficult question, or may be:  Looking
    18        back over those seven years and, indeed, adding to those
    19        seven years the years that you have done as Ombudsman, I
    20        want you to give us a general impression; suppose it was
    21        suggested that, in effect, McDonald's is a sweat shop which
    22        exploits the young and the disadvantaged for its own
    23        profit, what comment do you have about that general
    24        proposition?
    25        A.  I would reject it out of hand.
    26
    27   Q.   Is that simply because you are a McDonald's person in a
    28        senior position giving evidence here in court?
    29        A.  No.  My experience of organisations dictate to me that
    30        McDonald's is an extremely caring organisation.
    31
    32   Q.   Roughly speaking, during the course of your time as Head of
    33        Personnel, during the course of a year, would you go into a
    34        restaurant?
    35        A.  I beg your pardon?  Repeat that.
    36
    37   Q.   Roughly how often during a course of the year would you
    38        actually visit a restaurant or restaurants?
    39        A.  Depending upon the work I was doing, because I had more
    40        than one department that I was responsible for, but if
    41        I was touring the country in my role as Chief Personnel
    42        Officer, I would visit perhaps three restaurants a day
    43        whilst I was out in the field.
    44
    45   Q.   How often during course of the year might you do one of
    46        these tours?
    47        A.  Well, from 1985/6, I was responsible for three
    48        departments, franchising, personnel and security, and
    49        I suppose I devoted about 30 per cent of my time, 35 per
    50        cent of my time, to personnel matters. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Do you think that your experience in that role qualifies 
    53        you to give us an impression of the kind of atmosphere to
    54        be found, as a generality, in a restaurant in McDonald's
    55        during the late 1980s and early 1990s?
    56        A.  Oh, yes, it certainly does.
    57
    58   Q.   Would you, please, tell us in a broad brush picture what,
    59        in general, you find to be or found to be the atmosphere,
    60        particularly I am talking amongst the crew, in a McDonald's

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