Day 214 - 01 02 96 - Page 37

 
 

                                                                  DAY 214
 
                                           DAVID ROBERTS, Cross-examined:
 
 
 
     1        was  ---
     2        A.  I cannot speak for Mr. Nevison.
     3
     4   Q.   -- in charge either?
     5
     6   MR. MORRIS:  It is nothing sinister, is it, if people leave
     7        without giving notice or they say they are going away to
     8        college and you expect them to come back and they do not
     9        come back?  You would just leave them on the books for
    10        eight or 10 weeks or something, then -----
    11        A.  Until we know what is happening, yes.
    12
    13   Q.   That would be fairly typical practice at any store?
    14        A.  It is the practice that I have; if somebody tells me
    15        they are going to do something, I will believe them, unless
    16        something changes.
    17
    18   Q.   Right.  I mean, there are a lot of noughts we could go
    19        into, but if somebody leaves without giving notice, yes,
    20        you might keep them on eight or 10 weeks until -----
    21        A.  We would have to keep them on for a period of time
    22        anyway because we have to send them absence letters to find
    23        out what has actually happened to them.
    24
    25   Q.   Would there be anything sinister in eight or 10 weeks or
    26        that would be just normal?
    27
    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I suppose it depends on the circumstances.  I
    29        am not suggesting ------
    30        A.  Yes, there is no average that you could say.  You might
    31        send -- we send three absence letters.  It might take one
    32        person two weeks to answer all of them; it might take
    33        another one a year.  There is no average.
    34
    35   MR. MORRIS:  Right.  So people who leave without giving notice
    36        or they say they are going away or they are doing revision
    37        or they might be going to college and say:  "I will see you
    38        at the end of the term and I will come back and work here",
    39        they could be left on the payroll?
    40        A.  Not if somebody is going to college.  If they said they
    41        were going to come back and maybe work a shift every two
    42        weeks, then we would leave them on.  If we knew they were
    43        going to be away for, you know, a sustained period of time,
    44        we would terminate them and then when they come back just
    45        set them up again.
    46
    47   Q.   So something like more than eight or 10 weeks that you knew
    48        they would be away, you might terminate them then?
    49        A.  Yes.
    50 
    51   Q.   Right.  That might explain the noughts that are on there 
    52        for a substantial amount of time, that people are leaving 
    53        without notice or they are going to -- you said:  "You can
    54        have some study leave" and they do not come back?
    55        A.  There could be various reasons why.
    56
    57   Q.   Right.
    58
    59   MS. STEEL:   I think you said when you left that there were 175
    60        people actually working, hourly paid workers, in the store,
 
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