All it takes is one absentee and the whole service is in jeopardy. In the Le Cap’tain brewery, in the city center of Limoges, the team has been operating with a reduced workforce for weeks: out of six employees, there is a lack of one full-time and one part-time employee. “We are really limited in staff so as soon as someone is sick, we find ourselves in the water”, notes Isabelle, behind the bar. Like many restaurants in France, the establishment faces a shortage of staff. There are five times fewer candidates than before and those who are recruited only stay a few weeks. To deal with this recruitment problem, national negotiations have been underway between unions and employers for several months. A new day of discussions is organized this Tuesday, March 29.
15% salary increase
The boss and cook of Cap’tain, Franck Bechet, has however increased the salaries of all employees by 15%. “We have all made efforts on this but it is always very complicated, he assures, white apron tight around the waist. There are also the restrictive schedules of the weekend, finding someone to work on Sunday is very difficult.” To attract more candidates, he also modified its hours by opening later in the morning.
I must be too old for this job but I don’t have the same conception of work – Isabelle, waitress for 42 years
For Isabelle, who has been active between the tables for more than 42 years, it is above all a problem of mentality. “When you listen to them they know how to make 100 covers on their own and here when we have 40 they are at the end of their life, she says. I must be too old for this job but I don’t have the same conception of work.” With the approach of the high season, the boss is worried. He plans for the first time to use temporary servers.