FERRARA --The restaurateur, Gianfranco Vissani, said at a culinary event that citizenship income is the reason for a lack of young workers in the restaurant industry, however research indicates that in fact poor salaries are to blame, as acknowledged by Vissani's colleague, Alessandro Borghese Il Fatto Quotidiano writes.

 At the event in Ferrara, 50 kilometres north of Bologna, Vissani attacked citizenship income, calling it “a complete disgrace.” 

 He continued, “there are no more staff around, we educate our kids to work, to sacrifice, they have to get their hands dirty. I wish the best of luck to young people who want to work in this industry, but it takes commitment, dedication. There are no timetables or holidays.”

 In fact studies have found that a lack of workers is due to low wages and lack of job security. INPS data on seasonal workers has demonstrated there is no such thing as the ‘sofa effect’ - lack of motivation after lockdown - indeed the number of contracts has increased compared to both the pre-covid period and before the citizenship income was introduced.

 One of the functions of citizenship income (as well as providing a minimum wage) is to ease labor costs. In theory, companies are therefore forced to improve the quality of their products or services.

 Vissani’s colleague, Borghese, is also struggling to find staff. Unlike Vissani, however, he does not blame the young people but rather acknowledges how society has changed. “While my generation has grown up working at a crazy pace, today the mentality has changed.”

 “Those who enter this profession want guarantees,” says Borghese, “higher salaries, regulated shifts and a career path. In exchange for the sacrifice of time, young people ask for guarantees and rewards. In fact, this job has always been underpaid, but the youth of today refuses to accept it.”

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