Valter, 75-year-old grape harvester, Sacha, 18-year-old cashier: meeting the seasonal workers of the Thau basin

Découvrez les portraits de six saisonniers du bassin de Thau. MIDI LIBRE

Seasonal workers play a crucial role during the summer in the Thau basin, which is popular for its tourist activities. Their presence is essential to support the local economy, particularly in the oyster farming, catering, viticulture and tourism sectors. They enable businesses to cope with the summer influx of visitors. Meetings with some of these committed and hard-working seasonal workers.

At 75, “not a summer without harvesting since I was 7”

Valter Zecchel, 75-year-old grape picker. FREE MIDI – Patrice Espinasse

Maybe he could enter the Guinness Book of World Records. For how many years has Valter Zecchel been cutting the bunches of grapes at the end of summer and the beginning of autumn? He no longer knows exactly- even. More than 65 harvest seasons, certainly, since the Sétois started at the age of 7 and today he has 75!

"Like my parents, I have always been used to the countryside. Even if it was sometimes only a day or two, I always made them." At 14, Valter was already an agricultural employee in the Montbazillac vineyard . He smiles: “And at 21, I switched to beer, but not the kind you drink!”

Translate the general funeral home in Bergerac, where he worked for 37 years. But even after retirement, he remained loyal to the grape harvest here in the Thau basin. Since 2012, he has come to enjoy harvesting at the Domaine de la Plaine in Vic-la-Gardiole. “I like this atmosphere and it puts a little butter in the spinach.” Very appreciated by winegrowers for his experience, Valter would tell you himself, despite his respectable age: he is not about to let go of the grape!

On the beach, responsibility!

Émilie, 22-year-old lifeguard. MIDI LIBRE – Jérémie Margue

A volunteer firefighter in Pézenas, Émilie is in her fifth season. At 22, she works as a lifeguard on Plagette, in Mèze. Today, thanks to her experience, she holds the position of head of post. “It's a well-paid job, with a very good framework and I'm in contact with people, with great hours! But it also requires being responsible, if something happens, you have to be capable.” Responsible, she is.

At 17, she had already chosen to emancipate herself to start working during the seasons. To be a lifeguard, you have to pass your BNSSA, two first aid certificates, and take part in a course organized by the firefighters. “After a season and a half, you can become a station chief. It is important to master the maneuvers and there is a lot of training during the season.”

In Mèze, the interventions are fairly calm. There are many illnesses on the beach. She takes advantage of the rest of the year to devote herself to her professional project. "I would like to open my equestrian estate with gîtes." An ambition that she finances thanks to her seasons.

At the campsite reception, a relaxed atmosphere and “great encounters”

Sabine Puybouffat, 45-year-old receptionist at the Clos Fleuri campsite in Vic-la-Gardiole. MIDI LIBRE – KELMAN MARTI

For four seasons now, the Clos Fleuri campsite in Vic-la-Gardiole has had a seasonal worker like no other in its ranks. With a smile on her face, "as always", Sabine Puybouffat, 45, welcomes tourists at the reception. Her age is ? An advantage according to her: “It helps with the customers. With the experience I have, I can manage well those who may be tired or angry.”

But the days of the Vicoise are not limited to camping. Between her three work slots (10am – noon, 4pm – 7pm and 8pm – 11pm), the woman who is a housewife the rest of the year goes home to take care of her 7-year-old son. A rhythm she has learned to adopt.

“I manage to juggle work and home well. And then, I'm happy to take the time to work during the summer. At the campsite, I feel useful and I really enjoy doing my job. I especially remember the great people you meet there”, says the receptionist who wouldn't have seen herself doing any other seasonal job. “Camping is more relaxing than the hotel and restaurant industry. You can work in sandals! (laughs)"

At the bar, "be organized and responsive when there is speed"

Olympia, 20-year-old barmaid. FREE MIDI – Guillaume Cros

To work in the restaurant business in the summer, versatility is essential. Fortunately, Olympia quickly got used to it. The 20-year-old from Sète didn't even dread her first days as a barmaid at the Alexandre restaurant. Posted behind the bar counter, she makes cocktails, pulls beers and takes care of the desserts.

A role that she enjoys, although she has her preferences and her beats: “The part I like the least is the desserts (laughs). It takes longer, putting the whipped cream, the coulis…" A student midwife in Nîmes, Olympia had never worked before. But this summer, there was no question of vegetating, "the days being long without work".

She thus put on the barmaid's apron on July 1st for two months paid at 10 euros per hour. Weeks estimated at 35 hours, but far from unpleasant thanks to the general atmosphere. “Between the waiters, we all get along well. There are the customers, they are super nice, even if sometimes it can be hard." As for the qualities to manage the zinc with a master hand, Olympia advises to’"be organized and responsive when there is speed".

As a manager, Louis invites to the tasting of shellfish

Lucas, row manager at the Saint-Pierre Tarbouriech shellfish farm. FREE MIDI – Guillaume Cros

Louis grew up on the banks of the Etang de Thau, in Bouzigues. He worked a series of seasonal jobs in restaurants in the villages surrounding the Thau oyster beds. Working in the Saint-Pierre Tarbouriech shellfish farm came naturally for this graduate in marketing studies.

Aged 23, he is having his second season in a row there. A waiter last year, he now wears the chef's apron. "It’s not just putting down the plate and saying: 'bon appetit'. There, we guide customers, we take time to discuss." The Tarbouriech restaurant, located at the foot of the water near Loupian, offers à la carte oysters, mussels and shellfish extracted from the pond. Enjoying an international reputation and a high-end clientele, Louis must fulfill his role to manage without mistakes.

"You need to watch how this goes. If you see a forgotten table, you take care of it to make the service smoother." Louis takes on more responsibilities than in his previous job as a waiter. And he feels it in the salary: "A waiter receives the minimum wage per month. I can get up to 2,000 euros per month." Starting the season in April, his contract ends in October.

To be a cashier, you have to "be a good listener and smile"

Sacha, 18 years old, cashier this summer. MIDI LIBRE – Guillaume Cros

This is the first seasonal job for Sacha, 18 years old. He has already worked as a shelf sitter in grocery stores, of course, but never for long. At the Monoprix in Sète, on Quai Général-Durand, the computer science student is working a three-week fixed-term contract. A 30-hour-per-week contract, allowing him to enjoy his free time at the same time.

“I finish at 8pm at the latest, which gives me my evening. I have time for myself, I work and I make a little money so it's cool." On his first day of work, August 5, Sacha was afraid of making a series of calculation errors at the checkout: "You tell yourself that if you give a little too much or a little less, you're going to get your knuckles rapped."

More fear than harm, since he quickly adapted to the way things work and, above all, he was able to adopt an exemplary posture in front of customers. “You have to be a good listener and smile. We have a fairly old clientele, so you can't be shy”, assures the student from the South-West. His season ends on August 25 and Sacha, visibly satisfied, plans to return to his Monoprix checkout next summer.

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