In this third step, listen to the
conversation again while you read the transcription. Finally,
read the glossary information, phrasal verbs (highlighted in yellow) and
notes at the bottom. This step also means good practice for your reading
comprehension skills. To get information in Spanish, just place the
arrow of your mouse on any highlighted word without clicking.
(In
Peter Wiles's office)
PETER
Ian,
what's this about Bob Hardiman being sacked? He's been with the firm
since it started, and he's the only real craftsman we've got.
IAN
Yes, but
H.G. rightly
points out that
there's no call for elaborate hand‑carving
on desks nowadays; we don't need desks like this one you've got here,
for example. He says Hardiman is now redundant.
PETER
Ah, it'll
break the old boy's heart. Wait. I've got an idea.
IAN
What?
PETER
The
Pension Fund Trustees' Meeting. It's this Thursday. His name's
boundto
come up if he's being dismissed; his pension'll have to be approved.
IAN
How will
that help him? It won't save him from
redundancy.
PETER
No, but
that's when we can
speak up. There's you and me on one side and H.G. and
our dear company secretary on the other.
Oh Lord!! We've got to think of something... Look, I've
got another idea. Hardiman left the firm for a while, didn't he?
IAN
Hmm. Yes,
about five years ago. He came back to us two years ago.
PETER
Why did
he leave?
IAN
He went
to live in Scotland
to look after his father. When his father died, he
came back to us.
PETER
I see.
And what happened to all the
contributions he'd paid into the
Pension Fund before he went to Scotland?
IAN
He left
them in the fund.
PETER
So he
still qualifies for a pension?
IAN
Yes. H.G.
will say he'll get his pension, so what is there to worry about?
PETER
But the
thing is, Ian,
is Hardiman entitled to the full pension if he
broke his employment with us?
Let's
look up the
articles of the Pension Fund. Have you got a copy?
IAN
Ah, I'll have a look.
(Thursday:
the Pension Fund Meeting is in progress)
GRANT
Well,
gentlemen, this isn't going to take us very long. You've seen Mr.
Buckhurst's pension fund accounts. They're impeccable, as usual. So it's
only a question of approving them for the sake of the record. Right. Do
you all agree the accounts? (Murmurs of assent) Good. Well,
that's all. I presume there's no other business?
IAN
Well,
there is one thing more, H.G. The question of redundancy, the case of
Bob Hardiman...
GRANT
That'sa straightforward case.
He gets his pension, less three years, or whatever it is.
You'll
see to that, won't you?
IAN
I don't
think it's quite as simple as that.
GRANT
Why on
earth not?
IAN
Peter
will explain.
PETER
There
seems to be some slight difficulty, H.G. You see, Hardiman left us for
three years, as you know.
GRANT
I know
very well he did. I've just said so.
PETER
Quite so.
But I felt I should look up the articles of the fund. Ian, of course, is
already aware of this. It seems that if a period of employment is
interrupted for more than six months, a further period of five years has
to be worked before the employee is entitled to a full pension. If Hardiman continues with us until he's due to retire, that is, in three
years' time, there is, of course, no problem. He will be fully entitled.
But as things stand at present he would get, at a rough guess, only
about three‑quarters of his pension. And we could hardly allow that
situation with such an old employee. It would do the company no good at
all. He will, naturally, have to be compensated out of the company's
funds to make his pension up to the proper amount.
No. That
would be a very dangerous
precedent. No, no, I won't consider
that. Ian, this is your scheme, I'm sure.
IAN
Mine, H.G.?
GRANT
Well, you
win. We keep Hardiman on for three more years. But, Peter, I shall
expect you to use your undoubted ingenuity in making full use of him.
PETER
Of
course, sir.
GLOSSARY & NOTES
to point out
To remark, to make
a comment on
(señalar, resaltar).
there's no call
There is not any
demand; nobody is interested in buying
(no hay pedidos o demanda).
bound
With obligation
(obligatoriamente).
to come up
To be mentioned
(surgir, mencionar).
redundancy
When
an employee's job becomes unnecessary to a company he becomes
redundant. Redundancy, therefore, leads to dismissal, premature
retirement or transfer to another department(despido por cierre de empresa o reducción de personal).
to speak up
To speak one's opinion without fear or hesitation(dar sin vueltas nuestra opinión).
to
come back
To return to a
previous activity
(volver o regresar a un puesto de trabajo).
to look after
Take care of, to
watch over
(cuidar, hacerse cargo de).
contributions
The
weekly or monthly payments into the Trust Fund by employer and
employee
(aportes previsionales).
to be entitled to
To have the right
to
(tener derecho a).
to look up
To seek information
from
(consultar, buscar información de).
in progress
Being carried on;
going on at the moment
(en marcha).
to
see to it
To be careful or
certain to do something
(hacer algo al respecto).
preposterous
Absurd, ridiculous
(absurdo, ridículo, sin sentido).
to pay out (of)
To pay money from a
particular source
(utilizar el dinero para pagar de).
precedent
An example used to
justify similar occurrences at a later time
(precedente, antecedente).
