Day 116 - 26 Apr 95 - Page 06

     
     1        what Civil Evidence Act witnesses there are in that section
     2        of the case and expressly mention them.
     3
     4   MR. MORRIS:  It might be useful to set a time aside, say, at the
     5        end of a week where we are going to do that because we will
     6        need time to check.
     7
     8   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  You are under no pressure as to time.  What
     9        I am doing is putting the obligation on you at some stage
    10        before I go away at the end of the case to make sure I have
    11        actually a note of the witness where he or she is to be
    12        found so I do not overlook it.  That is all.
    13
    14   MR. RAMPTON:  My Lord, the other thing, I remind your Lordship,
    15        is that your Lordship did indicate, whether today or
    16        sometime in the near future -- it has to be in the near
    17        future for administrative reasons -- the Defendants should
    18        give an estimate of the amount of time that they expected
    19        they would use cross-examining my employment witnesses, the
    20        ones that have been listed, that is to say.  Your Lordship
         said that again on 6th April.
    22
    23   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  If you are ready to do that by the time we
    24        come to the end of Mr. Nicholson's evidence-in-chief, that
    25        will be extremely helpful, otherwise when we come back to
    26        begin your cross-examination of Mr. Nicholson, I would be
    27        grateful if that could be done.
    28
    29   MR. RAMPTON:  I say (and I hope it will be welcome) I do not
    30        expect Mr. Nicholson will extend much beyond the middle of
    31        tomorrow morning in-chief.
    32
    33   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  No, very well.
    34
    35                MR. SIDNEY THOMPSON NICHOLSON, sworn.
    36                       Examined by Mr. Rampton.
    37
    38   Q.   Mr. Nicholson, do you give your address as McDonald's
    39        Restaurants Limited, 11-59 High Road, East Finchley, London
    40        N2?
         A.  I do.
    42
    43   Q.   Are you presently the Ombudsman of the Second Plaintiff in
    44        this case?
    45        A.  I am.
    46
    47   Q.   What does the Ombudsman do in McDonald's?
    48        A.  The Ombudsman's role is to identify the problems that
    49        arise anywhere within the organisation, to look into those
    50        problems and then make recommendations for resolving them. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Does that include problems amongst staff? 
    53        A.  It includes problems between staff and their seniors.
    54        It could include problems between franchisees and the
    55        organisation.  It could include problems between
    56        franchisees and franchisees.
    57
    58   Q.   You were, I think, from 1984 to 1992 the Head of
    59        Personnel  ---
    60        A.  That is correct.