May 7, 2014 · Team HG
Last weekend, a 16-year-old boy was severely assaulted in Nieuw Schoonebeek, Drenthe. While working as a volunteer behind the bar at a youth club, he refused to serve alcohol to a peer. Since January 1 of this year, the age limit for alcohol consumption has been raised to eighteen years.
The young bartender was ambushed after closing time. He sustained a concussion, several bruises, and broken teeth from the ensuing assault. Trade unions, such as FNV Horeca, CNV Jongeren, and FNV Jong, fear multiple similar incidents, particularly in the summer when many young people will be working in the hospitality industry as summer jobs.
Laura Kapper of FNV Horeca says the following about this in Metro: “The raising of the legal drinking age is perceived as difficult by many young people behind the bar. A sixteen-year-old is now allowed to serve alcohol, but not to drink it. And must therefore refuse alcohol to his or her peers. Sometimes this leads to unpleasant incidents.” A quick solution to the problem is not available. “It is not very satisfying, but now that the change in the law is still fresh, there will likely be more incidents. Getting used to it will have to change this.”
As mentioned, raising the legal drinking age leads to unpleasant situations. This demands a great deal of resilience and endurance from (young) hospitality staff. There are calls for a resilience course in which they learn how to say no and how to handle various situations. In any case, a supervising parent aged 21 must be present when a young person is working behind the bar. Robbert Coenmans of FNV Jong: “It seems sensible to me for this older staff member to always intervene themselves if there are problems with age verification. This problem should not be shifted onto young bar staff.”
The trade unions are opposed to a ban on serving alcohol to staff under the age of 18. This would come at the expense of young people's part-time jobs.
Author: R. Beens
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