Day 301 - 15 Nov 96 - Page 33

     
     1        likely you are going to have high turnover, because people
     2        are under so much pressure.
     3
     4        Then it goes on to say, "Many problems are the by-products
     5        of understaffing.  Some of the most significant reasons
     6        people give for leaving are..."  Significant, we emphasise
     7        that word.  "Poor treatment", and that included
     8        "dissatisfaction with pay".  "No job enjoyment or
     9        satisfaction", and "poor working conditions" , which
    10        included "faulty or missing equipment" .  That was from day
    11        119, page 61 line 3.  I think that was also put to
    12        Mr. Beavers on day 125, page 19, line 1.  That is a
    13        separate note I have, I am not hundred percent sure of
    14        that.
    15
    16   MR JUSTICE BELL:  You think Mr. Beavers said something
    17        supporting that, do you?  With that reference?
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:   I think he took it in the same spirit as
    20        Mr. Nicholson took it, which was that he was faced with a
         fait accompli in that it was in the operations manual.
    22        Anyway, I mean, we are going to come on to turnover later,
    23        but if I can just throw a shot across the bows
    24        straightaway, the line that turnover is somehow due to a
    25        preponderance of students returning to college, we say, has
    26        been shown to be completely unsupportable, because in the
    27        reasons for leaving chart only 23 percent of reasons for
    28        leaving given were returning to college.  If the people
    29        going to college were going in and out, the same people
    30        over and over again, then that 23 percent of reasons would
    31        only represent eight or nine percent, or something like a
    32        third or a quarter, or something, if these people are
    33        coming back -- i.e. bumping up the turnover figures because
    34        they are coming back again three or four times a year --
    35        then that 23 percent of reasons will, in fact, be only
    36        about six to 10 percent, or something, of actual people
    37        giving the same reasons three or four times a year.
    38
    39        So the reality is the turnover cannot be wished away in
    40        that fashion, especially in the light of what it says in
         the operations manual as well.
    42
    43        There was some debate about an obligation McDonald's had,
    44        in order to justify particularly low minimum wage rates,
    45        that they provide free meals of "sufficient quantity and
    46        quality", and that was gone over with Mr. Nicholson on day
    47        118, page 28, line 25.  It was not hundred percent clear, I
    48        don't think.  It was up to a certain time, I think, the
    49        company had banned staff from bringing in their own food.
    50        I think there was a discussion with Mr. Pearson about what
    51        the Wage Council thought of 'sufficient quantity and
    52        quality', what that meant.  Anyway, I will come to that
    53        with Mr. Pearson.
    54
    55        It was put to Mr. Nicholson, I think day 118, page 55, and
    56        for the next two or three pages, about the -----
    57
    58   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  By the way, you may prefer to stand up.  Some
    59        people feel they are more manoeuverable standing up.  If it
    60        applies to you as well...