LIFEGUARDS in a Mallorca tourist hotspot loved by Brits are set to strike later this month amid an ongoing row over working conditions.
Workers linked to the Union de Socorristas in Calvia have called a strike for this Sunday, with affiliated lifeguards expected to walk out across the municipality’s beaches as they demand improvements to working conditions and the lifeguard service.
That includes several tourist hotspots much-loved by British holidaymakers, including Magaluf, Palmanova and Santa Ponca.
The lifeguards have accused Calvia Town Hall of repeatedly ignoring their demands, claiming their attempts to negotiate improvements have been met with ‘mistreatment and disregard’.
They have also accused mayor Juan Antonio Amengual, of the conservative Partido Popular (PP) of a ‘lack of political will’ to reach an agreement, while describing his advisers as ‘arrogant’.Â
Among their complaints is the condition of some lifeguard towers in the municipality, which they say have deteriorated to the point that they can no longer carry out their work effectively.
They have also criticised what they describe as a ‘completely precarious and insufficient’ bathing-access service for people with reduced mobility, which is currently available on just four of Calvia’s 11 beaches.
Concerns have also been raised over communication infrastructure, with some lifeguards forced to activate emergency procedures using their own mobile phones.
The union has additionally alleged ‘systematic errors’ in the payment of workers’ wages.
The lifeguards have described the strike as a ‘drastic’ measure, but insist it follows repeated failed attempts to secure improvements to working conditions through negotiations.
They say the conditions have now reached ‘limits that put at risk both the health of workers and the thousands of users who visit Calvia’s beaches every day’.
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