Crew Center recently received a letter from a former crew member who wanted to share his side of the story about a situation that ended with him losing his job. 
This crew member worked as a bartender on the cruise ship MSC Seaside, and thought of his team as family. They joked around, supported each other, and made their work environment feel like home. He worked closely with a waitress from the Philippines, and for two months, they had a good working relationship filled with jokes and mutual respect.

The trouble started when the waitress asked to change her schedule to another bar so she could work with her husband. Management turned down her request because she was doing well where she was, and her sales were great for the team. According to the bartender, after her request was denied, she seemed disappointed. A few days later, she suddenly claimed she was uncomfortable working with him and accused him of harassment.

"She complained to HR about harassment, but I didn’t do anything wrong. I have a wife who is also from the Philippines, and I really respect her. I respect women, and I’m not the kind of person who would do what she accused me of. She just made up a story to get out of the bar and be with her husband. I was investigated by security on board, and I explained everything that happened. She doesn’t have any proof that I harassed her. We have two other guys in our bar who know exactly what happened, and they can confirm that I never did what she claimed. I have witnesses, but security didn’t even bother to investigate with my two guys to gather more information about what she said," the bartender said.

The bartender believes this accusation was a way for her to change her schedule after her initial request was denied. He says the claims are completely false and that he was never inappropriate with her or anyone else. He feels the investigation that followed was unfair because the security team didn’t talk to other people in the bar who could have backed up his story. Despite his protests and lack of evidence against him, he was fired.

After seven years on the job, this dismissal hit him hard. He’s devastated, especially since he insists he did nothing wrong. Now, he’s hoping for another chance to clear his name and return to the job he’s loved for so long.

“I hope MSC Cruises still can call me back on board. I don’t want to lost my carrier on MSC. I hope they can do something about this issue or to make investigation to be cleared,” the crew member added.

The crew member’s wants nothing more than to go back to work and put this behind him. While this is just one side of the story, it’s hard not to feel for someone who’s lost their job in such a way. He hopes that by sharing his experience, there might be a chance for a fair re-evaluation of his case, and maybe, just maybe, a way back to the career he’s devoted years of his life.