Day 121 - 04 May 95 - Page 07

     
     1        is recorded as having said, I think he said, that
     2        Mr. Nicholson had made up a thing about supervisers
     3        checking individual crew records; I wonder if he meant
     4        that?
     5
     6   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, I think he it just -----
     7
     8   MR. MORRIS:  I did say that. I think he did make it up.  It has
     9        not appeared anywhere else.
    10
    11   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  That is comment which is another matter.
    12
    13   MR. RAMPTON:  I am not sure it is.  If Mr. Morris is, by sleight
    14        of hand, appearing to accuse Mr. Nicholson of lying in the
    15        witness box, he ought to put it to him.
    16
    17   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Well he has.  He has just done it.  He has
    18        just has suggested -----
    19
    20   MR. RAMPTON:  Perhaps Mr. Nicholson ought to deal with it?
    21
    22   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  He has done.  He cannot remember whether it
    23        had ever been raised as a problem by a Supervisor, because
    24        it does not happen, which I understood him to be putting to
    25        you, supervisors do not check them all.  Therefore, they
    26        have no reason to say they are having difficulty coping
    27        with it.  In fact, Caseview has it does "not" happen, but
    28        your answer was it does happen?
    29        A.  Most emphatically it does.
    30
    31   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  It is page 5, about line 50.
    32
    33   MR. MORRIS:  Would it be fair to say that a Store Manager is
    34        under some pressure to control costs in order to keep up
    35        profitability?
    36        A.  Is a store under pressure?  A Store Manager's
    37        responsibility is to control his costs.  That is one of his
    38        responsibilities.  You see, in a restaurant -----
    39
    40   Q.   He is under some pressure to do that?
    41
    42   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Yes, I would hope he is Mr. Morris ---
    43
    44   THE WITNESS:  Yes.
    45
    46   MR. JUSTICE BELL: -- as in any efficient organisation.
    47
    48   MR. MORRIS:  I am just asking the question.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I am just expressing surprise you should ask, 
    51        because I would be very surprised if managers are not under 
    52        pressure to control costs with a view to increasing 
    53        profitability.  I would have thought that was one of the
    54        reasons they are there.
    55
    56   MR. MORRIS:  Including labour costs?
    57        A.  Including all controllable expenditure.
    58
    59   Q.   The main controllable expenditure is labour costs, is it
    60        not?