New chairman of Hotelleriesuisse on shortage of skilled workers: “The hotel kitchen is the wrong place if someone is sensitive”

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Working hours in the office, a good salary, a meaningful job: these are the criteria that make a difference for many people when choosing a job. You often see the opposite in the hotel industry. We work late into the evening and on weekends. Wages also tend to be low. “In Switzerland, the demands on the profession are higher in terms of wages, working hours and reputation in society. That’s why we are struggling with problems with young talent and we need to change this urgently,” says Martin von Moos (60) in an interview with the Sunday newspaper.

The new president of the umbrella association Hotelleriesuisse is general manager of the 4-star hotels Sedartis in Thalwil ZH and Belvoir in Rüschlikon ZH. He knows the problems faced by the sector firsthand.

Are boys too “feminine”?

According to Von Moos, it’s clear that the hotel industry association needs to do a better job of teaching the trades in schools. Also with parents. Few people know that a career in the hotel industry is “quite possible”. Those interested can, after starting their apprenticeship, study for a master’s degree, for example, at the hotel management school in Lausanne.

Ernst “Aschi” Wyrsch, 62, launched a sweeping attack on Generation Z in December. The president of the industry association Hotelleriesuisse Graubeğen criticizes the effeminate nature of young people. Von Moos thinks this view is too one-sided. “There are more feminine ones,” she confirms. However, today’s youth have fundamentally different demands and needs.

But von Moos says the job is definitely not for everyone. Sometimes things can get hot, especially in the kitchen. “If someone is sensitive and can’t handle it, a hotel kitchen is the wrong place,” he says in an interview.

Could a new collective bargaining agreement help?

From the Hotelleriesuisse president’s perspective, “new working time models and higher wages” are needed. For example, some companies have implemented a four-day week. But working in the evenings and on weekends could hardly be avoided. After all, you can’t change your guests’ behavior.

He wants the collective bargaining agreement to be renegotiated to make the sector attractive again. More flexible working hours and a better work-life balance will attract more skilled workers and skilled workers of the future. “But we’re not getting anywhere,” says von Moos. “Gastro Suisse does not want to enter into negotiations at this time.” This is the decision of the Gastro Suisse delegate meeting. (smt)

Source :Blick