Calvià lifeguards protest over working conditions

Lifeguards in Calvià, Mallorca, displayed protest banners on beaches on 23 August after a 100% minimum-service requirement prevented their planned strike. The order meant all 39 staff due to join the action had to remain at work, according to the Union of Lifeguards of Calvià.

The banners called for improved working conditions and greater safety in the beach-rescue service. Some were written in German so that tourists could understand the protest.

Union challenges minimum-service order

Ariel Gaunas, general secretary of the Union of Lifeguards of Calvià, said the town council had made it difficult for workers to exercise their right to strike. He also criticised the municipal governing team for not attending a mediation meeting scheduled for Wednesday at the Tribunal de Arbitraje y Mediación.

Gaunas said the council had not contacted the lifeguards since that meeting. The beach banners were intended to keep the workers’ demands visible despite the strike not going ahead.

Concerns over rescue provision

The union has raised concerns about watchtowers it says are in a state of disrepair, affecting normal work, and about what it considers insufficient coverage across both the year and each working day.

It also said accessible bathing facilities for people with reduced mobility are available at only four of the municipality’s 11 beaches. Other complaints include communication failures that require lifeguards to trigger emergency procedures from their mobile phones, and repeated errors in wage payments.

Topics: Strikes · Sea rescue · Tourism · Politics · Calvià

Source: Europa Press / Mallorca.com