The beach strike is on again – details

So, it’s been on-off all week, as the lifeguards on the Adriatic riviera threatened strike action for this Saturday (and next saturday, part of the Ferragosto weekend).

On thursday a note was issued by the governmental commission which oversees strike action, suggesting that the strike would be called off. A solution had been found. Yesterday, though, a number of lifeguards – all in Rimini- rejected the proposals to settle the dispute, meaning that while most of the lifeguards who patrol the Riviera’s beaches will be on duty today, a number of them won’t.

What does that mean in practice? Well, it will vary from beach to beach. In many cases the licence holder for the beach establishment also holds a qualification for life-saving, in which case they’ll be responsible for safety on their patch. Where that is not the case, the red flag will be flying to inform bathers that there is no-one on duty, and the beach establishment should be closed (the comune has made its intention clear to fine any establishment in breach of safety regulations).

It’s a messy situation, and hopefully all will be cleared up to the satisfaction of all parties before next weekend.