Eric Sammartano wants to see the end of the tunnel. “If we can resume activity on May 11, I’m ready to reopen,” says the owner of hair salons Eric & Laurent in Thionville and Luxembourg, impatient to find his customers. For the past month, “like everyone else”, he has faced up and, as a business owner, he anticipates the recovery. “I ordered disinfectant products for 5,000 euros. I also bought kimonos, disposable gloves and visors to equip my staff, protect them and protect customers. ” But behind the enthusiasm, there is concern. A very legitimate concern. “We are in the most complete blur. I spend my time on the phone, I scan social media, information shared by colleagues, I listen to the radio. Nothing is known except that the government is working on the subject… ”At this stage, Eric Sammartano had to borrow to cope with the loss of income he estimates for his two thionvillois salons at 150,000 euros per month . Its staff, on the other hand, is partially unemployed, or forty people in total.
–
“Better not to reopen with the same charges and cash receipts halved”
“I have worked all my life, since the age of fourteen (he is sixty note). All my savings will go through. And to continue: “Be careful, I am not complaining, there are so many people who have nothing … but the situation is not easy”. Preparing to reopen also means projecting yourself into the unknown, trying to anticipate gestures, protocols not yet defined. “All we know is that it will be with fewer staff and fewer clients at the same time. “There will only be one person at the checkout and I will put up physical barriers around each workstation,” continues the business manager. ” What about the staff? “I plan to make them work in rotation: two teams per day who will work six hours each and the rest on short-time work”. But to the concerned optimism of Eric Sammartano, its director of human resources opposes its accounting realism. “Putting the machine back on the road means unlocking URSSAF contributions, salaries, rents … If we start again with the same charges and cash receipts halved, we’re going to break our figure. Better not to reopen than to reopen under these conditions. This is a dilemma not shared by small structures that employ only one or two employees.
–
