Day 187 - 13 Nov 95 - Page 10

     
     1   MR. MORRIS:  Can I just ask one question: are you a qualified
     2        translator?
     3
     4   THE INTERPRETER:  I am.
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes.  Thank you.
     7
     8   MR. MORRIS:  I think the best thing is if Mr. Lamti has a copy
     9        of his statement in French in front of him.  Can you ask
    10        him if he has a copy of his statement in French?
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes -- pale blue bundle III.  I think,
    13        Mr. Riley, if you do not mind sitting up there for the time
    14        being, you can hand it over.  Can you find divider
    15        number 9, please; and if Miss Scutcher looks in the loose
    16        bundle on the table and finds Mr. Lamti's original
    17        statement at A1 and her improved translation at A.
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  The statement I served this morning is clearer, the
    20        copy is clearer; and it is probably best to stick to that,
         in any event.  Is it necessary to read out the original
    22        French statement?
    23
    24   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  What I suggest you do, Mr. Morris, is
    25        ascertain that the French original is the statement made by
    26        Mr. Lamti, ask him if it is true, and then we will discuss
    27        what you want to do next.
    28
    29   MR. MORRIS:  Right.  (To the witness): Is the statement you are
    30        looking at your original statement made for the purposes of
    31        this case?
    32        A.  Yes.
    33
    34   Q.   Is it the truth?
    35        A.  Yes.
    36
    37   Q.   I will read out the English translation.
    38
    39        "In 1990, I was promoted to the post of Zone Manager, a
    40        position I occupy today.  In 1992, the Manager of the
         restaurant called me to his office and told me that I had
    42        been designated as staff rep, to my great surprise.
    43        I asked him what that consisted of, and he replied that
    44        this role was only to convince the official inspectors that
    45        a staff rep existed and to give them pre-prepared
    46        statements made by the Manager to the inspectors.  What my
    47        job consisted of, in reality, was to take care of the light
    48        bulbs and fixtures."
    49
    50        Can I ask him to clarify that last line?  Can you ask him 
    51        to clarify what he means? 
    52        A.  My employer did not want to inform me what was the real 
    53        role of the staff representative.  At that time, he
    54        informed me that the role of the staff representative was
    55        to look after the lights and the neon bulbs, and to inform
    56        him if any of those were not working.
    57
    58   Q.   OK.  "Some months after my becoming rep, the restaurant
    59        employees brought my attention to a number of problems in
    60        the Company around working conditions and payslips.  I then