A former waitress this week called on Government to set up guidelines to protect employees of small businesses.

Ms Jennifer Williams, a former waitress at PawsPaws Restaurant, told The Royal Gazette she quit her job this week after becoming frustrated with the tipping system.

Mr. Harry Grimm, the owner of the restaurant on South Shore Road, Warwick, deducted 25 percent or some $100 out of her wages every week to "supposedly'' pay the maitre'd, Ms Williams said.

But, she added, the restaurant no longer had a maitre'd and she seated, took orders, and served lunch to dozens of customers by herself.

"I have been asking him (Mr. Grimm) for the last few weeks where is this money (the 25 percent deducted) going?,'' Ms Williams said.

"He's telling me he's taking my tips and giving it to the bartender who fills in as a maitre'd at nights.'' But, she said, even if this was the case, the maitre'd is only entitled to his or her basic wage and six percent of the gratuities.

Noting that she served up to 80 people on Labour Day, Ms Williams said: "I was the only one working. He (Mr. Grimm) did nothing to help out.'' "What he's doing to people is wrong,'' she added. "People are killing themselves to do their job and he's doing nothing to help us out.

"He goes through staff like crazy. He has gone through five staff in a month at the ice cream parlour alone. He treats people like dogs.

"He expects everyone to do more than their job description without paying them and he has a stinking attitude about it.'' When contacted yesterday, Mr. Grimm said: "This young lady was with me for basically the last six weeks. It is the second time I hired her, against my better judgment.

"She's very bitter and spiteful against employers.'' He said the maitre'd, who is on vacation for three weeks, receives a basic wage and 25 percent of all gratuities from waiters and waitresses.

"This,'' he said, "is similar to what many restaurants and hotels do.

"By doing this we pay the maitre'd's salary. And all employees are aware of this when they start. But the waiters and waitresses still collect their own tips.'' Mr. Grimm explained that because the regular maitre'd was on vacation someone else was filling at nights and he was carrying out the maitre'd's job during the day.

"She feels that since there's no regular maitre'd working with her, 25 percent should not be collected from her salary,'' he said. "Somehow I can understand her point, so I made a compromise with her.'' In addition to helping Ms Williams as the maitre'd would, Mr. Grimm said he agreed to only take out 15 percent of her wage.

"We are not in the business to unilaterally deduct things that people are not aware of,'' he added. "Obviously the maitre'd is a very important part of this establishment and is given the best. That's true in most restaurants and hotels.'' While Ms Williams admitted that she worked for PawPaws when it first opened a year ago, she said she left out of frustration over similar issues. She said she returned because she was "very desperate for a job''.

This time, she said, she took her complaints to the Human Rights Commission and the Labour Relations office, but was told there was nothing they could do about the tips issue because PawsPaws is a small business.

"I've even called the (Bermuda Industrial) union to see if they can go up there,'' Ms Williams said, "but they said it would be difficult since the place is not unionised.

"But small businesses should not be allowed to do this to people.

"It is time that they (Government) do something about small businesses.'' A Labour Relations spokeswoman confirmed that Government had no set policy on the gratuity system in small businesses.