There will be no lifeguards at Easter. | Archive

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There will be no lifeguard service on beaches in Palma this Easter, while questions are being raised as to the service in the summer.

Last year, lifeguards protested in demanding better pay and working conditions. This protest ended in the Court of Arbitration, where agreement between the employees, the town hall and the contractor included a 35% increase in pay.

The new specifications of the contract, except for pay, which was a commitment between the company and union, have only just been published, meaning that the earliest that a new contract can be in force will be August.

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Meanwhile and according to Julián Delgado of the lifeguards union, the town hall intends to unilaterally extend the contract with the company, Emergencies Setmil, at the same time that the company has already informed the union that it is willing to declare bankruptcy as it cannot assume the cost of the pay increase.

He says that "no one has given us a start date for the season and it is clear that the commitment to start the service before Easter on the five beaches of the municipality will not be fulfilled".

Delgado argues that the mayor, José Hila, is responsible for the situation. "He promised us on two occasions that things were going to change." He adds that it makes no sense that the company has to pay them 35 per cent more but that the contract, which the town hall wants to extend until August, has the same financial amounts as last year.

The environment department at the town hall, which processes the contract specifications, says that the town hall "will do everything necessary to guarantee the surveillance of the beaches as of May 1".