Lifeguards now being victimised

SADLY, the lifeguards themselves now seem to be paying the price for talking to the Herald last week.
They told the Herald this week that they were told they would not be paid their long-overdue Christmas bonuses ‘because we spoke to the newspaper’.
They also complained that they were summoned to a fitness evaluation in cold weather on Tuesday.
“There is no political ‘what…what’ here. You (the reporter) have discovered the hidden truth behind the suffering of lifeguards and it’s bad,” said one who did not want to be named for obvious reasons.
He admitted most of them were just working ‘to pay their bills’ and they were not inspired to train or take their jobs seriously. They lifeguards called for the Hibiscus Coast Municipality (HCM) to be transparent, and give them answers.
An email to HCM and Tower 13 requesting details on the tender contract, the disbursement of money and whether management would sort out any of the issues raised in last week’s article was virtually ignored.
Leon Garbade, operations director for Tower 13, said they provided the lifeguard service to HCM – with a service level agreement in place.
“So we act as an agent and they are our principal. Therefore, any query in regard to the service should be directed to HCM and not to us.”
HCM communication department acknowledged the Herald’s questions and deadline.
The reply: “Please note that our system is (has been) malfunctioning since Monday and as a result we are not able to communicate properly with the user departments to source the necessary information. Therefore, in all likelihood, we are not going to be able to respond by your deadline. But the matter is receiving attention and we will get back to you as soon as we are able.”
What started off as an attempt to give those in charge a ‘heads up’ and a gentle nudge to improve conditions has now exploded into a major controversy. The following has now come to light:
* In one telling letter, Dr Melanie Schutte said she watched how a lifeguard (17) had to drag five people out of the sea in an hour without having a board or any support.
“These lifeguards have to sit in the sun – without any umbrellas, sunblock, water or anything to keep them from passing out from heat stroke. The youngsters don’t get the proper work clothes (no rash vests, jackets or anything).
“One supervisor humiliated the youngster in front of the whole beach for taking a bathroom break, after he dragged the five people out of the sea.
“I am sorry, but I am totally and utterly disgusted with the way that people do business in this place. I cannot believe that people can live with this on their consciences. I am willing to testify as to the situation. I have seen the way that these people work,” she said.
* Several lifeguards said they were ‘verbally abused’ and even called ‘stupid retards’. Another popular tirade used by managers was ‘money talks and bullshit walks’.
“Lifesaving here is all about the business and money, not about saving lives. They know we have nowhere else to work so they can treat us badly.”
* A former lifeguard wrote to the Herald claiming the best lifeguards had left the South Coast ‘because they are not even paid a quarter of what other municipalities offer and they are treated badly.’
“Ask them why every December season they are short of lifeguards? During the December 2014 season, more than 45 of the best lifeguards went to work in Durban, Richards Bay, East London, and Cape Town. They (HCM) had to resort to using youngsters working as ‘Water Safety Officers’. The same thing applied in December 2015.”
The lifeguard complained that when he tried to get his UIF, there was no record that it had ever been paid to the Department of Labour.
*”We can’t stay here and risk our lives for nothing. How are lifeguards expected to survive (eat, pay for transport etc) on the salaries they are paid?” said a lifeguard, who now works in Ballito.
* Another lifeguard said they were given ‘written warnings’ if they trained with the equipment. “We are told: ‘If you break it, you fix it’.” The Herald heard that in the past lifeguards had to cough up for unintentionally breaking boards.
* Another former lifeguard wrote that when he was a teenager, local lifeguards were the ‘heroes of the day’.
“They were respected for their experience and understanding on how to manage and maintain a beach. I looked up to these guys and even feared them as they were, in a sense, ‘Gods of the beach’.
”Whether they were on a surfboard, bodyboard, surf ski, or swimming, they were graceful and excellent at what they did. These men inspired me to be a lifeguard,” he said.
He worked two holiday seasons and would never do so again. “In one situation, more than 15 people were swept out to sea and it was all hands on deck.
“The waves were not rough at all, so we managed to get them to the shallows fairly easily. But then I had to go back out to pick up a fellow temporary lifeguard who couldn’t swim properly and was struggling. I had to rescue him with my craft. Standards have just dropped.”
* Some lifeguards claimed that, because of the lack of good candidates, shortcuts were taken and a blind eye was turned when some didn’t meet the required fitness test – swimming 400m in seven minutes.
* Lifeguards were only given ‘short-term contracts’ and there was no job security.
* “When I leave the coast, I tell my family not to go to the beaches and swim because I just don’t trust the other lifeguards,” said another.

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