22,000 euros gross per year. 1,300, 1,400 euros a month. But the need to work late shifts and weekends. Apparently paid overtime. Filippo La Mantia cannot find anyone willing to do this. The Sicilian chef has reopened his bistro in Milan’s Central Market, but is unable to hire staff. 80 interviews and no one who agrees.
“The first questions I hear in job interviews are, ‘Can I work part-time?’ and ‘Can I not work evenings?’ But I don’t think those who ask me that are lazy, it’s that the guys have really changed their mentality: until before Covid it was important to them to find a job, now it’s more important to have time. They are unwilling to work late nights or on public holidays. I honestly don’t see a solution,” he told Corsera.
“The labor lawyer is always with me, we offer as a basic level 22 thousand euros gross per year (1300-1400 euros net per month) for 8-hour shifts, especially in the 16-24 range, with paid overtime. But the fact that they have to be busy until midnight makes them run away. To stop the situation I had to rely on the catering agencies who provide me with staff on an hourly basis, but I can’t go on like this much longer because the costs are increasing I have solutions: I’ve been in the room lately, but in the long run I don’t know what to do. I’ll probably cut the à la carte menu in the evening and just keep the buffet formula, it needs less service,” he continues in the interview.
La Mantia’s statement is part of the debate that has been ongoing since the pandemic began about the difficulty chefs are encountering in finding staff willing to work hard. A discussion that also included Alessandro Borghese, chef and TV presenter with another restaurant in Milan, who reproached today’s children for not having a keen interest in hard work.