A frustrated small-business owner has fired one of his employees because he has lost valuable work now that the employee, a young soldier, must report to the Bermuda Regiment for six days of punishment.

John Madeiros, the owner of a small general construction company, said he is furious about the way in which the Regiment has punished his full-time worker.

He said the young employee travelled to the Azores to visit his sick mother when Hurricane Fabian hit the Island and he subsequently did not show up when the Regiment was called out.

But not showing up is punishable under the law and the soldier is now required to report to Warwick Camp from 8 a.m. until 5 p.m. for six days, while Mr. Madeiros said his business is hurting because of the loss of staff.

"I have no time for them (the Regiment) anymore. He didn't kill anybody, the punishment is ridiculous. They need to make him have his punishment on his time, not mine. I want the Regiment to know I'm firing this guy because of them," a frustrated Mr. Madeiros told The Royal Gazette.

Taking on extra business has now backfired, Mr. Madeiros said, as he only has a few helpers to go along with plenty of complaints from his frustrated customers.

"The hurricane still hasn't gone away for some people. I still have people's roofs and pumps and water heaters to fix and they want to take my staff away," he said.

When contacted by The Royal Gazette, Lt. Col. Eddie Lamb said the young man's employer was being "drastic" and "punitive" towards his employee and that his approach was completely unwarranted.

"In my 23 years of service with the Regiment this is the first time I've ever heard of an employer taking such drastic measures," said Lt. Col. Lamb.

"We go to great lengths to protect a man's livelihood and we're concerned for the soldier's overall well-being," he added.

Lt. Col. Lamb said a more productive solution would have been if the employer had gone straight to the Commanding Officer to strike a compromise instead of resorting to firing the recruit.

"Under the circumstances the soldier has to feel the brunt of his poor choice. We assess every case on a soldiers merits and the Commanding Officer in this case believed he needed to be dealt with right away.

"He could have been incarcerated for 24 hours for 28 days but based on his merits this is the punishment," he said.

He also wanted to stress that the Regiment never wants to jeopardise a young man's employment or his future with an employer.

"The employer should be the one stressing the importance of an embodiment but it is an entirely different matter when the employer is not responsible.

"The Regiment always enjoys a very healthy and respectful relationship with every employer in this community," he added.