Jolanta Kuznecoviene, Vytis Ciubrinskas Vytautas Magnus University, Lithuania Dimensions of vulnerability in catering sector in Lithuania: legal, gender and age cases

The report is focused on the main dimensions of vulnerability in catering sector in Lithuania

The report presents findings from the EU funded project WALQING. The project was focused on the issues of quality of work and life in the new and growing sectors in EU. The project was carried out in 11 European countries, including Lithuania. The presentation is based on the results from Lithuanian case which aimed to investigate the problems of quality of job and life in the catering sector.

Sampling Field data have been obtained through 37 semi- structured interviews with cooks employed in two catering companies. Prima: the enterprise renders catering services for nurseries, hospitals, schools, private companies and events. It also owns a network of restaurants and cafes.

Secunda: renders catering services for events and to several state institutions. Interviewees have been found through target group sampling.

The theoretical framework Work-related vulnerability: work-related processes characterised by uncertainty “which exposes a person (or a family) to suffering particularly negative or damaging consequences if a problematic situation arises” (Ranci 2010:16).

The term vulnerability: actual vulnerability and also working conditions which exposes workers to future risks of social exclusion. The focus is on the risk of social exclusion including risk of exclusion from the labour market and/or risk of social exclusion both materially and in terms of social participation or integration. (Poggi et al 2011).

Operationalization of the concept of social capital: - information on relations with family and friends (bonding social capital); - information on kind of association people are involved in (linking social capital); - information on leisure social activities ( bridging social capital). ( A.Poggi et.all (2011)

Empirical findings According to research data vulnerability in Lithuanian catering service business originates from the: organization of work; gender discourse; age discourse.

Two elements of work organization construct vulnerability: Requirements/consequences of Public Procurement Law (PPL) Allocation of working hours.

Public Procurement Law: -Fix-term contracts: - consequences for material well-being - poor working conditions: -health problems - no investments for employees training Working hours (allocation and amount): -deprivation of social capital

“My wife [works as a cook at the same company] suffers from varicose veins, it didn’t hit me yet. And this is from working, from standing, lifting…. Then the legs hurt, it becomes really painful” (Informant 9).

Social capital “It’s very bad for the family, such rather erratic schedule. (...) Sometimes it happens that you learn on Thursday that you’ll have to work on Saturday. Well, sometimes they ask, whether I would like to go and grill on Saturday. I say no, this Saturday I can’t. However, in most cases I must go. I mean, if there are big banquettes on Saturday, almost all of us need to work, even the cooks from the points are called in, you can’t refuse” (Informant 6).

“As for my private life I must give up many things. I give up a lot, for example, I want to go to the countryside to visit my relatives, to celebrate, for instance, Antanines [traditional Lithuanian festivity] or Wake, or attend some concert, but for many years now I am not there, although all of my relatives gather there. But I can’t, because there’s a lot of work in August, commercial orders. If you tell the director that you are going to the concert – it will be bad.” (Informant 4).

“if they had family, then most of the young people who had come here – just left. Here you never know when you will come home, when you will have holidays. When I came here, they asked me right away if I had any young children. Well, because if you have a young kid, you may not be able to take him/her from kindergarten, and what will you do if you’ll need to work on Saturday? Then it’s up to your husband, again and again? No, if one has a family, then s/he doesn’t stay here too long, leaves.” (Informant 7)

Dominant gender discourse: “women [by nature] adapt more easily to monotonic work, heavy work load and are more hardworking (…)” (Cook, female, 43).

“our men [in the kitchen] are different in a sense that they go to events to grill meat skewers [šašlykai]. Of course, this is not a women’s job because it is believed that it is a men’s job, since they help to build the grills and so on. If there are many events, then we also go to the grill, yes, we also grill, but seldom” (cook, female, 45).

Age discourse: “Well, I was thinking I could be a technologist, I graduated from technical school, but in order to become technologist I would need to advance, to study much more, to get some additional knowledge and so on. (...) I’d say, for me it’s already too late. Interviewer: You think it’s too late? Interviewee: No, maybe it’s still possible, but I don’t know, I don’t know. Well, then I would need to apply to university, if I wanted to be a technologist... Interviewer: And is there an obstacle to do that? Interviewee: No, there are no obstacles, but no wish either...”

Conclusions Most of the cooks employed at the both companies are women aged between 40 and 55 or more (male chefs constitute a small part of the cooks). Women of this age belong to the most vulnerable group in the company. Vulnerability is created in three main ways.

Two catering companies, provide different types of catering services and different work conditions: limited or any professional development, but good possibilities for social networking and accumulation of social capital; or good possibilities for professional development but deprivation of social capital

Thank you