«After 20 years of working in the kitchen I still earn 4 euros an hour»

PORDENONE – «Economically mistreated». «Not protected from a social security point of view». «The truth is not always and only the one told by those who offer the job». They are harsh, direct tones, those of the testimony (we do not report the “signature” to protect the protagonist’s privacy and workplace) sent yesterday to the Gazzettino by a woman resident in the province of Pordenone. The topic is hot: it was also partly at the center of the report presented by Confcommercio del Friuli Occidentale and concerns the level of remuneration that catering workers can achieve. According to the research office that presented the numbers, these are lower wages than in the tertiary sector. But the outburst of the employee who chose to write to the newspaper goes far beyond the simple and crude salary.

The complaint: «Masterchef is not reality»

«The perception of many – the letter begins like this – is that the world of catering is as depicted by Masterchef but the reality is different.” The premise, however, is a must: you shouldn’t put everything in the same cauldron. There are employers who assume all responsibilities and who give their employees maximum protection.
But there is also an underwater world that lives on temporary contracts and who day after day rely on unpaid overtime and starvation guarantees. «The victims are not the restaurateurs but the poor employees who are forced to be subjected to these situations.”

Economic and health protections

Then the woman goes into specifics: «The category of employees who work in the restaurant sector, in addition to being economically mistreated, are not even protected from the point of view of health insurance. My doctor advised me to stay at home for five days to cure myself of the flu, but feeling obliged I only took three days of sick leave. Although I was still ill on the fourth day I went back to work, only to discover the month after receiving my pay slip that I had three unpaid days of absence, because in the category contract the first three days of illness are not paid.”

Work, war between two factions: employer and candidates

The sector is desperately looking for manpower but it cannot be found. For months now there has been a “cold war” between the two “factions”: on the one hand the employers, who point the finger at overly pretentious young people; on the other, the candidates which instead they demand better conditions and space for free time. Impossible to decide who is right.

The starred restaurant La Primula can’t find chefs. «The school teaches the importance of a high-level venue»

The employee’s outburst

«Perhaps the jobs are not accepted – continues the woman’s testimony – due to the economic conditions that workers are forced to accept to live. And at that point a young man rightly looks around. In my case – she continues – I have 20 years of experience in the sector and regularly work at least two hours of overtime a day. And the pay is four euros net per hour, practically starving. And we’re not just talking about young people, but about people who have to feed their children.”

Among the sectors with the highest social security taxable income, we note that of software production and IT consultancy activities, with around 4,600 employed in the region in 2022 and an average of almost 32,000 euros. In the lowest positions there are accommodation services (13,047 euros), cleaning (12,808 euros) and catering (10,750 euros). It can also be noted that in the sectors with the highest wages the incidence of women is generally a minority and vice versa (39% in IT services, over 60% in hotel, catering and cleaning activities).

© ALL RIGHTS RESERVED

Read the full article at
The Gazzettino