Lifeguards meet CPO tomorrow

LIFEGUARDS will decide their next course of action following  tomorrow’s meeting with the Chief Personnel Officer (CPO). Curtis Hernandez, shop steward for the lifeguards, told Newsday yesterday that the CPO’s office advised their union, the NUGFW, last Friday that they would meet with them tomorrow. He said depending on the outcome of those talks, the lifeguards would decide the way forward. He said the weekend’s protest was very successful. “We got full support from our colleagues at other beaches, including Tobago.”

He said however that lifeguards at the Manzanilla beach were allegedly intimidated to stay on the job. He said they were seeking legal advice on that matter. Hernandez said he was also pleased citizens showed concern for their lives, by not turning out in their thousands on the beaches. He said he knew it was bad business for the vendors on the beaches, but “I have realised the only way we get things done is when we stand up and put up a fight.” The lifeguards protested for better salaries, saying their current $171 daily allowance was not sufficient because of the risks involved in their jobs.