Staffing shortages affect lifeguard services in Limassol

On Wednesday, the head of the Limassol lifeguard unit, Sakis Nikolaou, reported that nearly half of the lifeguard towers in the Limassol district are unstaffed. During a 24-hour strike involving government hourly-paid personnel, Nikolaou stated that only 13 out of 24 lifeguard stations are operational, supported by 43 active lifeguards. Two additional stations remain inactive due to a lack of physical towers. Examples of limited coverage include the 5-kilometer Lady's Mile beach, which has only one tower, and the Governor's Beach in Pentakomo, which currently has no lifeguard presence. The staffing shortage is attributed to issues regarding salary packages and employment duration. To address this, lifeguard representatives are demanding more permanent positions, the creation of 10-month contracts to attract staff, and an increase in 12-month roles to ensure continuous operation. Meanwhile, the Provincial Administration has issued an open call for applications to fill the vacancies.