Long-serving hotel workers with soon-to-expire six-year work permits fear some of the new overseas staff being brought in to replace them appear to have little or no hotel experience or qualifications.

The consequence could be poorer quality service, harming the Island?s bid to rejuvenate its tourism industry, according to a guest worker who has been working at the Fairmont Southampton since the late 1990s.

And the way long-serving guest workers learned they were not being given a three-year extension to their stay has also caused upset, according to the hotel waiter.

However, the hotel?s general manager Norman Mastalir has rebutted the concerns, claiming all new staff being brought in have their hospitality qualifications verified and that the 40-odd non-Bermudian employees whose work permits expire next April have been given advance notice to help them make plans for their future.

A hotel worker who spoke to the said: ?We hear all these things about tourism and the need to provide good service. Then the upper management went to Russia to interview for more staff and these workers have come here and we?ve spoken to them and they have said they have never worked in hotels before.?

He also said that for the past few days the hotel has resorted to using paper napkins at dining tables because of a shortage of staff to operate the new state-of-the-art laundry during the night to keep up with the demand for fresh table cloths and napkins.

The hotel has admitted it is fixing a few problems with the laundry and is in the process of hiring new staff to keep it running both day and night.

Mr. Mastalir said: ?On some occasions, we have had to use paper napkins in our restaurants, for which we apologise to our customers, however it is something we hope to rectify as soon as we possibly can.?

But it is the issue of the work permits not being extended and the apparent lack of training of new staff being brought to the Island that is of greatest concern among the current staff, according to the waiter who spoke to this newspaper on the condition that his name was not published.

?The good people are being let go. We have people who have been here six, eight or ten years. If we have to go then we have to go. But they have interviewed staff in Russia and one third of then have never worked as waiters but they have been given work permits,? he said.

Some of the new batch of workers are being shunted around the hotel because they are unable to serve to the high standard required at the hotel, he claimed.

?We love to provide the service and to smile for the tourists. I would prefer to stay. A lot of us would prefer to stay if we were allowed. I?m from Europe and would not seek to apply for long-term residency. The Government could get people to sign a letter to say they would not be seeking long-term residency.?

He believes bringing in new staff without the necessary qualifications is cost cutting and claimed the hotel only informed staff that their work permits would not be renewed next April after the intervention of the Bermuda Industrial Union.

This is disputed by hotel general manager Mr. Mastalir who said the BIU had ?no involvement with the staff communication or timing?.

He said: ?We have provided written notice to approximately 40 non-Bermudian employees that their work permits will expire in April, 2007. Fairmont wanted to ensure that the affected employees received as much notice as possible in order for them to make future career plans.?

With regard to the claim that some unqualified staff had been brought to the hotel to replace those soon to leave, he said the company had been recruiting in Russia, Australia, the UK, Caribbean, Canada and the US and all new employees are screened to ensure they have relevant qualifications.