Day 141 - 23 Jun 95 - Page 19

     
     1
     2   Q.   When was the last time you went to that store then?
     3        A.  It would be a number of years since I was at that
     4        store.
     5
     6   Q.   Is it a particularly high volume store or a low volume
     7        store?
     8        A.  It was a good volume store.  I would say when it opened
     9        it was a busy store.  It was the first one in Mexico City,
    10        and Mexico City has a population of about 20 million
    11        people.  So it was a busy store.
    12
    13   Q.   The law in Mexico, which you presumably familiarised
    14        yourself with, as regards labour ---
    15        A.  I do not claim -----
    16
    17   Q.   -- relations, when you went there in 1985?
    18
    19   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Did you?
    20        A.  I do not claim to be an expert, my Lord.  I have some
         general knowledge.  I would rely very heavily upon local
    22        expertise, lawyers who specialise in that area in Mexico.
    23
    24   MR. MORRIS:  They would have talked to you at that time?
    25        A.  Yes, I did.  I spoke to lawyers.
    26
    27   Q.   The law in Mexico is that when a strike date is called, the
    28        store should be in what you might call in America "normal
    29        laboratory conditions"; is that correct?
    30        A.  It should -- I am not sure I am totally following your
    31        question.  You should not do anything unusual.  You run
    32        your business as usual, if that is what you are asking me,
    33        yes.
    34
    35   Q.   At six o'clock, which is the traditional time,
    36        apparently -- or it is certainly the time in this case?
    37        A.  In this case that was the time.  I cannot say it was
    38        tradition.
    39
    40   Q.   -- the officials walk in and ask the workers who are
         carrying on their jobs in the normal way to stop work?
    42        A.  That is correct.
    43
    44   Q.   The workers do not have to take a vote or anything like
    45        that?
    46        A.  There is an election procedure.
    47
    48   Q.   At six o'clock ---
    49        A.  No.
    50 
    51   Q.   -- they have to walk out? 
    52        A.  I am sorry, I think we are talking about two different 
    53        things.
    54
    55   Q.   No -- the actual six o'clock on the strike date.
    56        A.  There has to be an affirmation by a work stoppage, that
    57        is what I was advised, would be an affirmative vote for the
    58        union, and a negative vote would be -- it may be some
    59        articulation of words -- but, more importantly, whether the
    60        workers would continue working.