The councillor for Economic Model, Tourism and Labour, Iago Negueruela, and the director general of Labour and Occupational Health, Virginia Abraham, has presided over the signing meeting of the first regional collective agreement in the Balearic Islands that affects lifeguards for both beaches and swimming pools. It is the first agreement of its kind in Spain, and was signed by the Federation of Services, Mobility and Consumer Affairs of the UGT and the Federation of Services of the CCOO, on behalf of the trade unions; and by the Association of Lifeguard and Lifeguard Companies of the Balearic Islands (SALVIB) and the Balearic Lifeguard Association, on behalf of the employers’ organisations.

The agreement addresses and unifies the needs and problems affecting a group which, in the high season, has a workforce of around 4,000 people and whose activity is highly seasonal, centred on the warm months of the year. In this regard, the councillor remarked that it is a “very good agreement”, because it aims to improve the quality of employment for this group, and goes deeper into the specific needs of the sector.

Wage increases of 25% in the first year and 3% in the following two years

One of the main strengths of the agreement is the significant wage increases that will be applied from 1 January 2023, 25% on average for the first year. It should be borne in mind that the starting point for these activities was very low, at around the minimum wage; with the signing of this agreement, the parties aim to change the wage dynamic and gradually raise wages to a more dignified level.

The agreement signed today, which is valid for three years, comes into force on 1 January 2023, although in the case of current municipal public contracts, it will come into force when these contracts are reviewed; most of them must be modified before the beginning of next summer.

Thus, for the first year, the average wage increases by an average of 25%. For 2024, an increase of 3% is established and for the following year, another 3%, with an agreed wage guarantee clause.

Other benefits included are the regulation of subrogation, with a simplification of the previous regulatory texts, which provide greater clarity and legal certainty for workers, the discontinuous permanent contract is strengthened and other aspects such as occupational risk prevention, labour equality, and others are improved.