The USO trade union in the Red Cross Company Committee in Las Palmas has denounced this Thursday that it has been condemning for months the situation of "abandonment and precariousness faced by the group of lifeguards" such as those in the south of Gran Canaria and the rest of the province. The Spanish Red Cross and town councils such as San Bartolomé de Tirajana "have ignored the repeated demands and proposals to improve the working and material conditions of this essential service," said the USO trade union section in Las Palmas.
The main concerns include a lack of staff, poor facilities and poorly maintained technical equipment, which compromises the safety of both lifeguards and beach users. Despite the lack of resources, around 150 lifeguards continue to carry out their work with great professionalism, managing to keep the number of incidents low on the busy Canary Islands beaches.
The president of the Red Cross Company Committee, Gonzalo Santana, has denounced the "irresponsibility" of both the Red Cross and the city council of the economic capital of the Canary Islands. "It is alarming that the focus of media attention is on superficial issues, while a vital service for the safety of our beaches is in such a precarious state," stressed Santana. The lack of solutions has led the union to demand that the problem be stopped being ignored and that immediate measures be adopted to guarantee the safety of lifeguards and bathers.
