Day 206 - 22 Jan 96 - Page 60
1 A. I enjoy working for McDonald's. I think it is a good
2 Company to work for.
3
4 Q. We have heard that the Plaintiffs' solicitors informed us
5 that the Store Manager, Mr. Cummings -- this was on 8th
6 November 1995, when we were trying to get access to this
7 worrying letter -- that Mr. Cummings read Danny Olive's
8 letter and he believes he put it in Mr. Olive's personnel
9 file which was kept at Bath. "In accordance with standard
10 practice, he did not send a copy to the Human Resources
11 department or to anyone in the Regional Office.
12 Mr. Cummings has no knowledge of what happened to it. Last
13 time he saw it was when he read it on his return from
14 holiday."
15
16 Mr. Cummings not only did not show it to the Managers
17 involved that were being invited to discuss these matters
18 or consider these matters; he did not actually show it to
19 anybody higher up either, did he?
20 A. Well -----
21
22 MR. JUSTICE BELL: He cannot answer that.
23
24 MR. MORRIS: Do you not think that that is an indication that
25 your Store Manager was trying to bury the criticisms made
26 of his store?
27 A. No.
28
29 Q. You cannot believe that, can you, that your Store Manager
30 might do something like that?
31 A. I do not understand what you mean by "believe". I do
32 not believe that my Store Manager would deliberately bury
33 this letter or something out of some feeling that it was a
34 criticism.
35
36 Q. So, is it just incompetence, then, on behalf of the store
37 Manager?
38 A. I do not know the reason -----
39
40 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I do not understand how this witness is
41 supposed to answer these questions. He did not see the
42 letter at the time. He does not know what happened to it.
43 Mr. Morris can make all the comments he likes when he comes
44 to addressing your Lordship at the end of this case, but
45 this cross-examination is sheer speech making.
46
47 MR. MORRIS: It is not sheer speech making, because I am trying
48 to test the witness's loyalty to the Company.
49
50 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Yes. But there must be a limit to
51 hypothetical questions. You can make your criticism of the
52 fact that this letter does not seem to have gone any
53 further than the Store Manager, if that is what the
54 position appears to be at the end of the case, but I really
55 do not think that Mr. Henden can help.
56
57 MR. MORRIS: (To the witness) Mr. Olive, was he generally
58 scheduled 4 until close; would that be typical?
59 A. He would normally, as I recollect it, work a Friday or
60 a Saturday night shift, yes.
