USO-Canarias decries severe shortcomings in El Cotillo rescue service

The union USO-Canarias has once again denounced the “serious situation of abandonment and precariousness” that, they claim, lifeguards in the municipality of La Oliva suffer, where the Red Cross manages the service in the El Cotillo area.

The union warns that the “repeated and extremely serious breaches” by the contracting entity “endanger the lives of beach users and the physical integrity of the workers.”

USO-Canarias recalls that complaints from the lifeguards themselves, together with those from the Red Cross workers’ committee, previously led the La Oliva City Council to terminate the contract for Lot 2, which covered the beaches of Grandes Playas, El Burro, El Moro and Corralejo, for “non‑compliance with the specifications.” However, “for Lot 1 (El Cotillo) the same action was not taken and the contract with the Red Cross remains,” the union notes.

Among the problems identified, USO-Canarias reports a lack of personnel, the absence of operational radios due to charger failures, and the lack of essential equipment such as a jet ski and a quad bike, which, according to the specifications, should be part of the equipment in El Cotillo. In addition, there is no water or electricity supply at the rescue station, a situation that — they say — has persisted “for years without a solution.”

The union also points out that the CGT Lifeguard Section has recently called a strike in Gran Canaria “for practically the same reasons,” which, in USO-Canarias’s view, shows that this is a widespread problem in the sector.

“We want to stress that the irresponsibility of the Red Cross puts the lives of users and the lifeguards themselves at risk,” the organization warns, announcing the upcoming call for protest actions if urgent measures are not taken to resolve the situation.