Day 155 - 14 Jul 95 - Page 24

     
     1        proportion then of the payroll were on the basic starting
     2        rate?
     3        A.    Well, because of the probationary PRs -----
     4
     5   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I did not interrupt earlier because it is
     6        pedantry really, but if you went from 50 to 60 to 100, it
     7        was more than 40 per cent increase.  It was either 100 per
     8        cent increase or just under.  I only mention it now because
     9        it is going on the -----
    10
    11   MR. RAMPTON:  Your Lordship is quite right.  Arithmetic is not
    12        my best subject at the best of times, and it is obviously
    13        not this morning.
    14
    15   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You mean going up from 50 to 60 to 100?
    16
    17   MR. RAMPTON:  Yes, it is either 100 or it is just under 100 per
    18        cent increase.  That is quite right.  Anyway, let us deal
    19        in numbers, can we?  An additional 40 people or 45 or 50
    20        people to bring the payroll up to 100, how long did that
         take you to increase the payroll, over what period of time?
    22        A.  Probably about six months.
    23
    24   Q.   In those early days, six months, can you remember roughly
    25        what proportion of the total workforce would have been on
    26        the basic starting rate at any one time?
    27        A.  Maybe 40, 50 per cent because they were new people.
    28        You obviously need time to see them, work with them, before
    29        you can make judgments.
    30
    31   Q.   This is one of the reasons you are doing 50 to 60 hours a
    32        week, I suppose, is it, at that time?
    33        A.  Yes, yes, because the management team that I was left
    34        with was also not in a very good shape, so I sort of tended
    35        to do everything myself.
    36
    37   Q.   Past the end of 1986 into 987, by that time, roughly
    38        speaking, at any one time, how many people would you have
    39        that were on the basic starting rate, three-week
    40        probationary starting rate?
         A.  I would say no more than 20 per cent.
    42
    43   Q.   Did you have any problem recruiting?
    44        A.  None whatsoever.
    45
    46   Q.   What means did you use to recruit?
    47        A.  We had in-store advertising and I had advertisements at
    48        the polytechnic.  But the majority of the people were
    49        people walking into the restaurant and enquiring.
    50 
    51   Q.   I do not know what it is, but did you have an outlet at the 
    52        Job Centre? 
    53        A.  No, I did not need it.  I did not need to go that far.
    54
    55   Q.   You did not need to do that.  Can I ask you, Mr. Giardina,
    56        about rap sessions?  You must have held rap sessions
    57        yourself when you were an Area Supervisor, Area Manager?
    58        A.  That is correct.
    59
    60   Q.   When you were Manager at Seven Sisters, roughly how many