Day 117 - 27 Apr 95 - Page 08

     
     1        paid?
     2        A.  Yes, it does, my Lord.  The difference is with salaried
     3        staff they have a minimum of a month's notice to give,
     4        irrespective of their length of service.
     5
     6   Q.   The contributory pension fund which they can join
     7        voluntarily, that is salaried staff only?
     8        A.  That is salaried staff only.
     9
    10   Q.   But the free life insurance and the medical care is?
    11        A.  It goes to both.
    12
    13   Q.   Both, yes, I understand?
    14        A.  Under different conditions but it goes to both.
    15
    16   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Thank you, Mr. Rampton.
    17
    18   MR. RAMPTON:  Can I just go on a slight digression?  I need not
    19        come back to it, Mr. Nicholson.  If somebody wanted to
    20        retire early on grounds of, let us say, ill-health, how
         would that work?  First of all, would they be entitled to
    22        retire early on grounds of ill-health if they were hourly
    23        paid, or is that something that only happens to salaried
    24        people?
    25        A.  Well, if they are hourly paid, they simply leave work
    26        by giving the correct amount of notice.  If it was for
    27        ill-health purposes, we would let them go immediately.
    28
    29   Q.   What about a salaried person?
    30        A.  Salaried people can ask for retirement early on the
    31        grounds of ill-health.   They can ask to retire early under
    32        any circumstances but they get a reduced pension.
    33
    34   Q.   What would happen to their pension?  Assuming it was an
    35        authentic reason for early retirement, would they still be
    36        entitled to their pension?
    37        A.  Most certainly.
    38
    39   Q.   Ill-health?
    40        A.  If it was health ill-health, yes, they would be
         entitled under the scheme to an ill-health pension.
    42
    43   Q.   Coming back on course to hourly paid people, you said there
    44        were educational schemes?
    45        A.  Yes.
    46
    47   Q.   Can I ask you as a preliminary, have you any idea, roughly
    48        speaking, what proportion of your crew, your hourly paid
    49        staff, are students of one kind or another?
    50        A.  No, I do not have that statistic. 
    51 
    52   Q.   Are we talking, do you think, about significant numbers? 
    53        A.  Yes, we are -- substantial numbers.
    54
    55   Q.   What does the Company provide for those people?
    56        A.  For anyone taking a recognised business course they are
    57        awarded £50 toward the cost of their books.  Then there is
    58        an award of £250 given to each restaurant.  Large
    59        restaurants with large staff may get two or three of the
    60        awards but, generally, it is one award to each restaurant,