Day 189 - 20 Nov 95 - Page 21

     
     1        specific -- McDonald's made their former positions
     2        defunct.  Anne Holmes (now Casey) was lobby hostess before
     3        the dispute.  This position was 'dissolved' on her return.
     4        So, too, was that of James Macken, who was a maintenance
     5        man.
     6
     7        "During the dispute, new staff were hired and told lies
     8        that the dispute was not for trade union recognition."
     9
    10        I do not know if that sentence is missing?
    11
    12   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No.  I can read that line.  It was the bottom
    13        line on the previous page of the letter, which I have
    14        written in now.
    15
    16   MR. MORRIS:  "New staff were hired and told lies that the
    17        dispute was not for trade union recognition and better
    18        wages and conditions, but because an employee was sacked,
    19        which was again totally false.
    20
         "So, in conclusion, I would state that McDonald's have a
    22        definite anti-trade union policy.  After all, low wages
    23        means higher profit.  I hope this has been of some help in
    24        answering your query", etcetera.
    25
    26        That statement was signed on 28th June 1993; and you stand
    27        by it, do you?
    28        A.  Yes, yes.
    29
    30   Q.   We will get into some details in a minute.  The second
    31        statement:
    32
    33        "I, Sean Mrozek, can verify the following details which are
    34        due to my experiences in working for McDonald's Restaurants
    35        in Dublin 1979.  The Company was totally hostile to trade
    36        unions, and union members were in dispute for union
    37        recognition for seven months in 1979.
    38
    39        "After the Labour Court ruled in our favour and McDonald's
    40        had to take back all striking members, it was clear that
         the Company remained hostile to us individually and as a
    42        group because of our trade union sympathies.  Individually,
    43        I was suspended for a trivial and unjustified reason, and
    44        after taking the Company to the Labour Court I was
    45        reinstated.
    46
    47        "Harassment and discrimination continued against all the
    48        union members, but the Company was very careful to conceal
    49        its anti-union hostility, instead using other pretexts for
    50        picking on us.  McDonald's applied various pressures to try 
    51        and intimidate union members and 'weed us out' one by one 
    52        and eventually rid all union members." 
    53
    54        That statement you signed on 2nd -----
    55        A.  Yes.  There is just one correction; it should have been
    56        the "Rights Commission", not the "Labour Court".
    57
    58   Q.   So, on the first page, it should say on the bottom
    59        line "taking the Company to the Rights Commission"?
    60        A.  Yes.  It was Connor Murphy who was the head of the