Day 214 - 01 02 96 - Page 47

 
 

                                                                  DAY 214
 
                                           DAVID ROBERTS, Cross-examined:
 
 
 
     1
     2   Q.   Just for the record, when you joined the store, he said
     3        there were 131 people on the payroll, not 60.  So you said
     4        less than half.  Did you also consider 130 to be far too
     5        few?
     6        A.  Not all of them were working.
     7
     8   Q.   I think there might have been around about, between 15 and
     9        20 who did not come back.  So do you still think that is
    10        far too few?
    11        A.  Yes.
    12
    13   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  Do those include people who got, for whatever
    14        reason, complete zeros?
    15
    16   MS. STEEL:   What, the 131?
    17
    18   MR. JUSTICE BELL:   Yes.
    19
    20   MS. STEEL:   There were 35 complete zeros.
    21
    22   MR. RAMPTON:  Can we now which period we are talking about
    23        because, once again, my figures are astronomical numbers
    24        away from Ms. Steel's.
    25
    26   MS. STEEL:   19 -----
    27
    28   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  How many did you say were complete zeros,
    29        Ms. Steel?
    30
    31   MS. STEEL:   35.
    32
    33   MR. MORRIS:  If Mr. Rampton wants to challenge them, he has
    34        re-examination to do that.
    35
    36   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  I know.  None of this is anything to do with
    37        the witness, anyway, in the declaring of figures, so it is
    38        not a question of cross-examination or re-examination.  Let
    39        me just make a note.
    40
    41   MS. STEEL:   I can give you both of them, if you want.
    42
    43   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  The figure which Mr. Rampton gave me for
    44        19th June 1994 to 2nd April, which ---
    45
    46   MS. STEEL:   19th June?  Right.
    47
    48   MR. RAMPTON:  To 2nd July.
    49
    50   MR. JUSTICE BELL:  -- which has your starting date smack in the 
    51        middle of it, was -- but, presumably, has anyone who was on 
    52        the payroll during any of that fortnight, because they 
    53        would be paid; if they are going to be paid, they have to
    54        be on the payroll; yes?  Mr. Rampton said there were 137,
    55        which is not very far away from Ms. Steel, including 13 new
    56        staff who arrived on 25th June or thereabouts; and there
    57        were 25 complete zeros.  But it may be that if one looks at
    58        two sheets which are only a few days apart, you get quite a
    59        different figure.
    60
 
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