Day 151 - 10 Jul 95 - Page 70


     
     1        regularly?
     2        A.  One of the best suggestions that came up about
     3        conditions is I believe somebody suggested that we move to
     4        bulk cola from the bag-in-the-box situation to save on
     5        deliveries, which are some of their responsibilities.  So
     6        you are right, there have been a lot of improvements to our
     7        system that have come about by people at the grass roots.
     8
     9   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  What I suggest is you put ----
    10
    11   MR. MORRIS:  Yes.
    12
    13   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  -- then we will call it a day.
    14
    15   MR. MORRIS:  Your RAP sessions are, in reality, a total sham,
    16        are they not?
    17        A.  No, they are not a total sham; otherwise I would have
    18        crew walking out on me saying, "Why bother to have RAP
    19        sessions because nobody listens to what we say", and, in
    20        fact, we have done a lot of that; we have put Sunday
    21        machines in restaurants; we have put regular menu staging;
    22        we have improved and installed bulk cola and we encourage
    23        people every single day of the week to look at their job
    24        and see which way they can improve theirs and everybody
    25        else's.  To suggest that they are mindless idiots who come
    26        to work and expect to do a RAP session and no one to take
    27        any notice is quite out of left field.
    28
    29   Q.   I am not suggesting anyone is a mindless idiot.  I was
    30        suggesting that your RAP sessions, if they are meant to
    31        test the feelings, as you said -- I cannot remember the
    32        exact quote -- "feedback on every conceivable issue" and
    33        other people have said to act as a forum for crew members
    34        to express their feelings over conditions in which they
    35        work, they are a total failure?
    36        A.  No, they are not.  If they were a total failure we
    37        would look for another way to look at it.  They are a very
    38        good success and the system goes forward, the people like
    39        it, and I do think you are suggesting they are mindless not
    40        to see that in front of them.  It does great harm to them
    41        to suggest that they do not have the capabilities, mentally
    42        and physically, to go and look for another job if that is
    43        the way we would treat them.  People enjoy working there;
    44        they see their ideas put into practice, and they will
    45        continue to see their ideas put into practice.
    46
    47   Q.   I suggest to you that they are frightened to make any
    48        criticisms that will identify them as having the wrong
    49        attitude to the Company?
    50        A.  Absolutely not.  People come to me and tell me if they 
    51        think ways could be improved.  Strangely enough, people are 
    52        far more prepared to talk to me than maybe the Area 
    53        Manager, just in terms of, maybe that is the way I am more
    54        experienced now to put people at their ease; so, therefore,
    55        maybe I have got a better idea about what the grass roots
    56        feeling is, but we have plenty of examples of people who
    57        continue to tell us ways to improve the system, to take it
    58        forward.  Improving it is taking it from a very good
    59        operating base to an even better operating base.
    60        I positively encourage people to do that.

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