St. Brendan's Hospital management had to feed clients yesterday after kitchen staff staged a sit down.

A statement from the hospital said that the staff walked out early yesterday morning because of "maintenance issues".

"Unfortunately, 11 of our employees `sat down' at 6 a.m. this morning regarding a number of maintenance issues in the Dietary Department," the statement from hospital Director Patrice Dill said.

"They were particularly concerned about the food disposal unit, which was splashing, and the steam kettle pots, which were leaking. Mechanics were called in this morning and have fixed the steam kettle pots and re-sealed the food disposal unit, which needs to sit for 12 hours before testing. Therefore, we must now wait until tomorrow morning to determine if the food disposal unit will be operational. So, our employees refused to return to work and went home at 11 a.m. this morning."