Day 142 - 26 Jun 95 - Page 07
1 Q. -- as well which is on page 34 -- sorry, 74, I think, on
2 page 28: "In the 1980s in the Philippines, McDonald's
3 franchisee", that is, McGeorge, "developed the employment
4 of young people in order to peg labour costs to nine per
5 cent of sales." Referring to those two together, is it
6 true that a McDonald's store was refused a licence in the
7 Philippines in or around the early 1980s?
8 A. I have no knowledge whatsoever of that.
9
10 Q. Are you aware of a boycott campaign?
11 A. No, I am not.
12
13 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Try not to say: "Are you aware of?" It may
14 sound pedantry, but it is not. For all I know, you will
15 establish a boycott campaign but it has not been
16 established at the moment. The way I suggest you put it
17 does not restrict it: "Was there a boycott campaign". (To
18 the witness): What is the answer?
19 A. To my knowledge, I have no knowledge of any boycott
20 campaign.
21
22 MR. MORRIS: Do you have any knowledge of the Philippines at
23 all?
24 A. Yes, I do.
25
26 Q. How many times have you been out to the Philippines?
27 A. I was there once.
28
29 Q. What year was that, approximately?
30 A. I was travelling through the area or through that part
31 of the area, it would probably be three, four years ago.
32
33 Q. Did you talk to the owner or operators -- is it still
34 McGeorge that owns the -----
35 A. Yes.
36
37 Q. Did you talk to the owner or operator of those stores?
38 A. Yes, I had a conversation with him.
39
40 Q. Did you enquire about normal financial information?
41 A. I do not enquire about normal financial information.
42 I am not a financial guy.
43
44 Q. What did you enquire about then?
45 A. We were talking about compensation issues, stock option
46 issues.
47
48 MR. RAMPTON: My Lord, I am sorry, but the pleading relates to
49 either early 1987, paragraph 74, or in or around 1981 to 3,
50 paragraph 12. Mr. Stein said he was there three or four
51 years ago which is in the 1990s. Anything that he might
52 have discussed with the licensee on that occasion is almost
53 certainly not going to relate to anything which was pleaded
54 in this case -- it is fishing -- and the Defendants have no
55 witness statement.
56
57 MR. JUSTICE BELL: Look, the position is this. Mr. Rampton may
58 or may not be right about the passage of time. You are
59 entitled to ask about what you have pleaded. That is
60 implicit in what Lord Justice Neill said in the Court of
