“I offer from 1,800 to 3,000 euros a month but nobody wants to do it” – Corriere.it

Risk of empty turrets on Italian shores. If in recent days the investigations into the shortage of waiters, bartenders and cooks in the premises (here the list of unobtainable workers) on Italian beaches have caused discussion, the lifeguards will also be missing on the beaches for the 2023 season. And the reason does not seem to be linked in this case to contractual irregularities or low salaries. For Stefano Battistoni, owner of a factory in Cesenatico, the theme is cultural: expectations weigh against tasks and time. «Our lifeguards or rather the lifeguards in possession of the patent work in cooperatives on several beaches with salaries ranging from 1,800 euros net per month for beginners to 3,000 for seniors. But it is still difficult to find people willing to work».

The level of salaries

According to the National Collective Agreement for Tourism which also applies to workers commonly referred to as lifeguards, the basic salary starts from 1,200 euros for a fourth level and then increases with the classification. Then the overtime paid 30% more and any second-level agreements must be calculated. “Our lifeguards work 40 ordinary hours with up to 8 hours of overtime. And the rest day is a legal obligation », he adds. However, there is a lack of candidates who must in any case train by following specific quarterly courses. A training that can cost up to 35o euros. «Out of 90 patented last year in Cesenatico, all high school students, only 14 then showed up for the season».

Work considered menial

The profession has, in short, lost its attractiveness. «I tell you that the problem is not the salary because I talk to the boys – underlines Battistoni – last May one left because he didn’t want to clean the beach, it struck me because he was getting about 2,000 euros a month. The motivation? She didn’t want to do something considered menial».

The lack of experience

For Marta Marzioli, owner of a small factory in Lazio in Tarquinia, the post-pandemic issue is that for young people, flexibility wins over salary. «Just think – she says – that to cover a day of service in the turret I had to hire two part-time guys. They didn’t want all the afternoons busy.’ Difficult then to find people with experience. “This year we have many very young guys but they should be joined and the people with more seasons behind them are less and less”.

The weight of responsibility

Among them is Giovanni Zavalloni, 65 years old, who has 49 seasons behind him in Cesenatico and who worked as a bricklayer for years in the winter. For him, the lack of boys to place in the turret is not a surprise: «The big difference compared to previous generations, like mine, is that these guys don’t see seasonal work as a necessity. They are not as hungry as we were. Even for the more comfortable conditions of the families of origin». For the very young it is also complex to manage responsibility. Zavalloni adds: «Being a lifeguard is a complex job, we are first aid at sea. You have to train and it is a work of physical effort. I recommend it as an experience especially to students. You learn a lot: I think about the management of emergencies and how to prevent them. And then you work outdoors in contact with people».