which management dip into even when they do not work.

Around a dozen kitchen staff say their Elbow Beach Hotel bosses are using the system to subsidise the salaries of the Maitre'D and assistant Maitre'D.

One worker fumed: "We only get paid around $140 a week. The gratuities are what we depend on for our livelihood.

"But the tipping system means the management get 30 percent of all the money -- it's way too much. I've never heard anything like it.

"But they get it even if they haven't worked the shift.

"Last weekend one manager got $280 from Saturday night and $193 from Sunday night for not working either night -- it's an outrage.'' Angry staff feel the hotel is exploiting them because they are expatriates and they say requests for meetings with the management and the Bermuda Industrial Union have fallen on deaf ears.

On Friday, they made another attempt to set up a meeting and patience is now wearing thin.

One worker said: "We are talking about industrial action. The other day many of us were on the verge of walking out.

"We kept asking for a meeting with the management, but they keep saying next week, next week.'' The workers say the skewed system was brought in when the hotel reopened for business last summer after a multi-million dollar revamp.

Staff were given the choice -- accept it or go elsewhere -- but requests to have a meeting about changing it have been ignored for months by management.

However, the management said the system was set up by the previous incumbents and they have promised to sort out the problem by the end of the month.

Human resources manager Natalie Arrington said: "We are looking at how to make it equitable.'' She said the hotel was looking at increasing pay for the Maitre'D and his assistants so that when the tipping system was changed they would not be out of pocket. "Pay for managers was reduced by the past regime,'' she said. "We are in a bind but determined to make it right.

"This is a hotel that has been traumatised with eight general managers in nine years.

"We are sorting out all our line employees as well as managers. We don't want anyone to be shortchanged.''