Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 05
1
2 Q. If someone had a five or ten minute break to have a drink
3 or take the weight off their feet in the middle of the
4 first half of a shift, or more or less in the second half
5 of a shift, that would not count as a break at all?
6 A. That is right. That would be paid.
7
8 Q. It would be just as if they had continued working ---
9 A. Certainly, sir.
10
11 Q. -- so far as pay is concerned?
12 A. Yes.
13
14 MR. MORRIS: They would not clock on or off for a drinks break?
15 A. No.
16
17 Q. So if they worked 45 minutes, or if they were paid for
18 their break of 45 minutes -- I do not know what the wage
19 rate for Colchester was at the time; it was something like
20 £2, was it not, an hour?
21 A. I cannot honestly remember. That sounds approximately
22 right.
23
24 Q. It does not matter. £2 an hour; then 45 minutes would have
25 been something like £1.50. So if they got a 10 pence rise
26 and worked for what would now be seven and a quarter hours,
27 they would be getting something like 70 pence instead of
28 what they were previously paid, which would be something
29 like £1.50. Do you accept that?
30 A. The way you have put it, it sounds it might be true,
31 yes.
32
33 Q. So there was a national pay cut when McDonald's introduced
34 the non-paid breaks?
35 A. No, because they received 10 pence an hour.
36
37 Q. Which could not compensate for what they would have been
38 paid when they were getting paid breaks?
39 A. To be honest, it may have been 10 pence, it may have
40 been 15 pence. I cannot honestly remember -----
41
42 Q. You said 10 pence in your statement.
43 A. That was -----
44
45 Q. Are you saying that you do not know?
46 A. I could not be absolutely certain that was -- as
47 I recollect, it may have been 10 pence, it may have been
48 15 pence. As I remember, it did actually compensate for
49 the loss of breaks; else, nobody would have taken it, would
50 they? They were given the choice whether they could take
51 it or not.
52
53 Q. If it is of any help, the witness Kate Scannell says it was
54 10 pence, as well.
55 A. She is doing it from sort of eight years' recollection
56 as well, I would have thought, is she not? I would have
57 thought that if we had have offered a pay rise, it would
58 have had to have compensated for the breaks, in that -----
59
60 Q. It would be unfair, otherwise, would it not?
