Unemployed Bermudians ready to work in the restaurant business should go to the nearest restaurant and fill out an application form.But if you think it’s okay to urinate at your work station or smoke drugs in the store room, don’t bother.The industry which employs a significant number of Bermudians, needs good reliable people as much as any other.That’s the message from Philip Barnett, co-chair of the Restaurant division of the Chamber of Commerce.“They need to be ready to commit not just for a few weeks, for more than a couple of months,” Mr Barnett said, adding that the job of the pot washer was one of the most important in the restaurant.Mr Barnett felt the need to speak out after what he said had been inaccuracies circulating in the community following theGovernment’s controversial decision to send certain foreign workers home to make way for Bermudians.“People would be terribly shocked when they understand how much effort we put into giving Bermudians every opportunity to work, with regard to some of the issues we’ve been faced with in terms of poor work ethics, attendance, etc.”He said the Economy Minister Patrice Minors who holds responsibility for work permits, had acknowledged that the industry needed good, reliable workers and workers who do not bring with them a “plethora of social issues”.And he stressed that there were many Bermudians working in the industry “who come to work everyday and are reliable, hardworking, committed and excellent employees.”But “we have a significant percentage of individuals who come to us who show incredibly poor work habits.”Mr Barnett said more than 50 percent of the pot washers employed by members of the Chamber of Commerce are Bermudians. “Some (members) have a high percentage, some don’t have any foreign pot-washers at all,” he said. “That doesn’t mean that they don’t have their horror stories.”He outlined three actual nightmare scenarios which he said illustrated some of the problems faced by employers.One new hire was discovered in a store room smoking marijuana after just one or two weeks on the job.At another establishment, a new hire was found urinating in one of the drains at his workstation “presumably because he felt the bathroom was too far away. Needless to say, he was fired on the spot.”And another restaurant found itself without their pot washer when the Police showed up and arrested him. He had been two weeks on the job.Mr Barnett also felt the need to dispel the “myth” that “big bad business people” were taking advantage of people by underpaying them. At $14 to $16 an hour, the rate of pay for pot washers in Bermuda is “most probably the highest in the world”.“There are comments made that that isn’t a living wage, that $30,000 to $40,000 per year is not a living wage for Bermuda,” he said.But it’s “the very best we can pay based on what we are able to charge for our products, and unless people wish to start paying $100 for a hamburger, we’re going to need to pay our staff what the economics of the industry allows.“That doesn’t mean we can lower our standards of work ethics, competency and reliability because it’s an integral part of our industry. Without individuals that can discharge their job description adequately, we cannot function.”He said: “It’s not an easy job. It’s a thankless job, but it’s one of the most important jobs in the restaurant because that’s the start of the supply chain right there.”