Day 153 - 12 Jul 95 - Page 08

     
     1        support your view.
     2
     3   Q.   The reality is, is it not, Mr. Davis, the only possible
     4        logical conclusion is that people were given no choice or
     5        not informed that they could keep on the previous system?
     6        A.  How do you account for people keeping on the previously
     7        paid breaks then, which I am sure -----
     8
     9   Q.   Because everyone would have wanted to, if they had known
    10        about it.
    11        A.  Some people did.  So, therefore, how ---
    12
    13   Q.   Three out of 55.
    14        A.  -- how do you explain that nobody was given the
    15        choice?
    16
    17   Q.   Three found out about it, or something.
    18        A.  Well, as I remember, everybody was given a letter
    19        dictating the terms of what was being offered.  How would
    20        these three have found out about it?
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, you must not ask.
    23
    24   THE WITNESS:  Sorry.
    25
    26   MR. MORRIS:  Going on to unpaid breaks, for the Company, would
    27        have involved more complicated clocking-in systems and
    28        computerisation of records, whatever, would it not, because
    29        if someone is scheduled for an eight hour shift, that is
    30        it, they are paid for eight hours, unless they worked
    31        beyond the shift; and suddenly this unpaid break system was
    32        brought in, which would introduced an area of new
    33        calculation, would it not, which the managers would have to
    34        do?
    35        A.  They did it before, anyway.
    36
    37   Q.   But you would have to calculate it in terms of their pay,
    38        would you not?  Each time they did a shift, you would have
    39        to calculate or take off 30 minutes or 45 minutes, whatever
    40        it was?
         A.  That is right, yes.
    42
    43   Q.   So it actually made things more administratively difficult
    44        for the Company, did it not?
    45        A.  Minisculely, at the time, yes.
    46
    47   Q.   But, of course, it meant increased profits for the Company,
    48        so it was worth doing?
    49        A.  I do not specifically know why the Company did it as a
    50        whole.  It was a company arranged thing that was passed 
    51        down.  I do not know the reasons why it was incorporated, 
    52        to be honest. 
    53
    54   Q.   Going on to the breaks occurring at various times during
    55        people's actual shifts, sometimes the breaks would be at
    56        the beginning or the end of the shifts, yes, if the store
    57        was busy?
    58        A.  Sometimes; ideally, not.
    59
    60   Q.   Yes.  The point is, is it not, Mr. Davis that people are