From the temporary help at the Escher campsite for permanent position

Anyone who has mastered the steep climb to the Escher Gaalgebierg while hiking – be it for a foray through the zoo or after a walk through the local recreation area – you feel it: thirst, exhaustion, the desire for a rest. And right here, on the terrace of Camping’s Stuff, the reward is waiting. A cool drink, a shady place, the buzzing of the conversations all around. On sunny days, when the light dances on the helmets of the cyclists and hikers wipe the welding beads from their forehead, almost every table is occupied. But most of the guests here are probably not suspecting that they support a social project with every sip – one that helps people back into the labor market with sometimes extraordinary life stories.

One of the waiters here is Rosa Andrade, 45 years old, from the Cape Verden. She came to Luxembourg in 2022. How did it come about? « This is a long story, » she says and withstands the journalist’s gaze. A moment of silence: expectation is in the air. But Rosa lets the space between the words before it finally explains in a firm voice: « One that should no longer be told. »

The boundaries of the conversation are set up, the past remains largely unspoken. But something resonates between the lines – a shadow, a disappointment. False promises, that can be guessed, are part of their history. And she doesn’t want others to experience the same thing. Her warning is unmistakable: « Anyone who is said that he can achieve everything in Luxembourg, even though he only speaks Portuguese, shouldn’t believe blindly. »

In the Cape Verde, Rosa Andrade was a producer, including for news programs, on television. She had fun working behind the camera, she says, and she would like to work again in her old job. But here, in Luxembourg, this path remains blocked. Your French, once learned in basic knowledge at school and now trivialized, is not enough. Portuguese alone does not open doors in this country.

The employment office arranged them to the Escher CIGL and so she is now busy with a temporary employment contract in the employment measure of Camping’s Stuff. In the meantime, she no longer rules out to return to her homeland sooner or later, because, that her future prospects are better in this country, she is now apparently no longer convinced.

Incidentally, the abbreviation CIGL stands for « Center d’Innelle et de gesture local ». Behind it is a simple idea: people who find it difficult to find the job market to build a bridge. Rosa Andrade is not an isolated case, says Max Schmit, managing director and head of the CIGL project Camping’s Stuff. Again and again he meets people with unusual biographies, with hopes and setbacks.

There is the man from Iran, he says, who came to Luxembourg with a war injury – a ball in the leg. He started in the employment initiative, struggled through, and today he sits firmly behind the wheel of a bus. « Our job market needs such people, » emphasizes Fritz Remackel, President of the Escher Cigl. In particular, the gastronomy suffers from personnel bottlenecks, adds Schmit.

More coordination for the Gaalgebierg

Employment initiatives could also help prepare people with a different background for the labor market. Schmit tells of a kitchen elevator from a culture in which consumer protection is understood differently. In her home country, if you have an allergy, you yourself are responsible for not eating anything wrong. She first had to learn that this was handled differently in Europe. In the CIGL you take time for such explanations. Time that a private employer often does not have – and in an emergency not patience.

The CIGL is not a competitive company for restaurateurs, emphasizes Schmit. « If a trained cook reports to the employment office, the employment office will convey it directly to the catering trade. » On the other hand, people without experience are oriented towards the CIGL who have to be trained first. « After a temporary employment contract of a maximum of two years, we convey the person trained by us to the first job market, » says Max Schmit. However, it often happens that you will find a permanent position for the person concerned before the end of the two years. Good and, above all, motivated employees would usually be passed on quickly, according to Remackel and Schmit.

Speaking of competition: How is the Camping’s Stuff perceived by the customers and the other gastronomic companies on the Gaalgebiang? Max Schmit laughs and pulls out his laptop. He reads: « In 2024 we sold 1,300 royal pies, 1,079 Stuff-Burger and 660 croque-monsieur. » The bestseller is the royal pate, followed by the two beer brands that are served here. « But they run out of competition, » jokes Fritz Remackel. In short: the weather is right, sales are also right. The terrace is popular. « Many customers of the campsite come to us – but also day trippers. »

So a competition for private catering businesses in the area? « No! » Says Fritz Remackel Resolut. You complement each other and also send each other to customers. You too are the camping’s stuff From an economic point of view, due to the high number of employees, Max Schmit adds. It is dependent on government support.

It should also be considered that there could be changes in the strategic management of the offer on the Gaalgebierg, explains Fritz Remackel. But that is still very vague. The campsite is currently being managed by the camping club, the Camping’s Stuff from the Cigl, the zoo from the city and so on. « It would be nice if there was a kind of coordination so that all of this could be coordinated a little better, » said the president.

Remackel and Schmit also have plans for the future of Camping’s Stuff. If possible this year, module construction with an office and changing rooms is to be created. This is also intended to help improve the training conditions so that people from Gaalgebierg will continue to be able to be oriented back to the first labor market and hikers or cyclists can continue to rest on the terrace with a cool soft drink.