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What Happened at the Tribunal
'I must remind you that you swore on the bible,'
Tribunal chairman to Connex manager.
'Mr Skilton, are you making this up as you're going along?'
Tribunal Chairman to Connex manager.
'I'm beginning to lose my patience with Mr Skilton,'
Tribunal chairman to Connex manager.
There were long periods of silence. Managers would read out their witness statements. They would then be lead through the various events where it would often be shown that their versions were at odds with the truth. So how should they answer? By accepting the events as they unfurled would show the witness statement to be untrue. But by rejecting the sequence of events as presented, with strong evidential back-up, this would result in a denial so out of step with the facts that they would never be believed. The managers clearly weren't sure how to answer. The silences were deafening.

When faced with clear, direct, questions, Connex managers often had no choice but to tell the truth. One manager, John Thompson, when asked if he allowed health and safety regulations to be carried out (1977 Safety Reps' Regulations in this case), had to answer 'Er,  no.'  Health and safety laws do not apply to Connex it would seem.

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Witnesses for L Holden
L HoldenEx Connex Driver
C AttardEx Connex Driver
Witnesses for Connex South Eastern
G WalkerASLE&F Company (Connex) Council
L WarboysASLE&F District Secretary (retired)
S Higham-GrayDrivers' Standards Manager, Connex
C EdmundsDrivers' Standards Manager, Connex
K SkiltonAsst Area Operations Mngr, Connex
S GollopEx-Depot Manager, Connex
J ThompsonArea Operations Manager, Connex

5-16 November 2001, Croydon, London. For Connex managers this was to be a major test. They were so used to working in an environment where they called all the shots. But now they would have to be made accountable for their actions. Under oath. Connex managers, along with their compliant union officials, had come to the tribunal on the basis of trying to show Connex in a good light. Though of course, witnesses are meant to appear at a tribunal on the basis of telling the truth. But what would happen when these two objectives started to conflict?

Time and time again, Connex witnesses had to be interrupted by the tribunal chairman - 'I must remind you that you swore on the bible.' 'I'm beginning to lose my patience with Mr Skilton.' 'You're not doing yourself any credit.' 'Mr Skilton, are you making this up as you're going along?'