Gilles and his new box feet in the water – These professions that rely on the holidays

The gesture is safe and fast. Scrape albacore tuna or peel mackerel to remove the skin before opening to separate the loins. The traditional workshop of cans of sardines and mackerel fillets at a standstill, a few days before the end of the year celebrations, Gilles Cavalié works in the sector of prepared products from Belle-Iloise. “Here, there is really no monotony”, says the production operator of the Quiberon cannery. At 50, the adopted Morbihannais ended up finding his way, five years ago, by responding to a seasonal job offer.

A bakery CAP in his pocket “to feed people and please”, the Solognot has multiplied experiences, from the building trades to the food industry, passing by truck driver and the automotive industry, before being conquered by the Family SME moored for 90 years on the peninsula.

The season to start

Like many of his work colleagues, the fifty-something pushed the door of the factory to join the “brigade” of some 200 seasonal workers. A ritual for Belle-Iloise which traces its peak of activity to the sardine fishing season. “Heading and gutting, then casing,” he recalls, rather proud of having been exempted, after four days, from wearing the blue cap reserved for novices. Gestures that he transmits in turn.

The diversity of tasks coupled with a minimization of load handling had quickly convinced him. Next season, he will return there for the peaks of activity on production lines, the ergonomics of the workstations of which will be redesigned this winter to “facilitate work and improve performance”, describes Elsa Robillard, the human resources manager of the company.

Unique in it’s genre

No question of stopping there. At 50, Gilles Cavalié wants to continue to evolve, seduced by the “trust” that was quickly granted to him. In a company that cultivates quality, the man still has a lot to learn, despite the four to five different positions for which he is already trained. In front of the cutter and the mixer necessary for the production of crumbles, mousses and fish rillettes, the 50-year-old readily admits that he wants to progress and try to become a machine operator. He says he is ready to embark on a new training, necessary in view of the hundred homemade recipes in the catalog of this one-of-a-kind cannery.

The employees of the 90 stores are among the company’s 350 employees; nearly 600 each summer to meet the needs of the tourist and fishing seasons. End-of-year celebrations also, synonymous with an increase in sales. The opportunity to seduce new job candidates, ready to join Gilles Cavalié and his colleagues in the workshops of a factory with their feet in the water.