The residents of Rocha have mobilized to request an increase in the hours of the lifeguard service on their beaches. However, the mayor of the Esteña commune, Alejo Umpiérrez, explained that it is a difficult request to meet due to its high economic cost.
Umpiérrez recalled that, despite the fact that there have been no drownings in Rocha for many years, this year there has been a fatality.
Even so, the mayor, a member of the National Party, stressed that the lifeguard service schedule is not capricious, but is based on the largest number of bathers. In addition, he said that the national government should participate in some way in the cost of a service that benefits the entire country, since the salary of a lifeguard is approximately two and a half times the municipal minimum wage and is only paid from December to April. , which is equivalent to having a staff of 150 permanent workers throughout the year.
Umpiérrez pointed out that, although it would be ideal to have more lifeguards, it is also important that bathers have a certain responsibility and do not go down to the beach with children outside the permitted hours.
In Rocha there are 153 beaches, so it is necessary to distribute the lifeguards efficiently. The mayor assured that the mayor has implemented a salary guideline and a five-year agreement to improve the working conditions of these workers and has established a dialogue table to address any problem or concern they may have.
