Day 120 - 03 May 95 - Page 07

     
     1        albeit divided into, for instance, Inner London, Outer
     2        London, Provincial.
     3
     4   MR. MORRIS:  I was only quoting what Mr. Nicholson said about
     5        the majority of crew in a store; if there was a majority
     6        vote in a store, then the Company would be prepared to
     7        negotiate, but I just wondered why.  (To the witness):
     8        I put it to you that you did not say that, otherwise you
     9        would have remembered?
    10        A.  I cannot remember.
    11
    12   Q.   OK.  If we go -----
    13
    14   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You are suggesting that if the majority of
    15        crew in one store voted for union representation, then the
    16        union ought to be able to negotiate in relation to pay in
    17        that store?
    18
    19   MR. MORRIS:  That is what Mr. Nicholson said.  We can check that
    20        if it is important.
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, very well.
    23
    24   MS. STEEL:  Did you make a visit to hackney as Head of Security
    25         ---
    26        A.  No.
    27
    28   Q.   -- as your position at the time?
    29        A.  No, I was not Head of Security at the time.
    30
    31   Q.   You said that the reason you were asked to come down to the
    32        store was that some of the crew were interested in union
    33        representation?
    34        A.  Yes.
    35
    36   Q.   You do not know anything about union functions and what
    37        unions do, how they organise or anything like that,
    38        according to your evidence, so what would be the point in
    39        you going down to talk to them about union representation?
    40        A.  Because I do know how we prefer to deal with our work
         force.
    42
    43   Q.   So you were going down there -----
    44        A.  To explain our point of view to them.
    45
    46   Q.   Right.  So you were not really going to tell them it was
    47        their right to join a union; you were going to tell them
    48        the Company line and that you really would rather not have
    49        anything to do with trade unions?
    50        A.  No, I told them it was their right if they wished to 
    51        join a union. 
    52 
    53   Q.   Why should they think it was not their right?
    54        A.  I cannot answer that; I just reinforced the fact that
    55        it was.
    56
    57   Q.   Why did you need to go down there to tell them that?
    58        A.  I was asked to.
    59
    60   Q.   You could have sent a circular down to them?