Calls for lifeguard payrise
CLLR Declan Bree has called for a pay rise for lifeguards.
He made the call at the July Council meeting earlier this month.
He told members that they held “very responsible positions” and were “in essence, first responders.”
“They are generally expected to safeguard the public.
“However in my opinion the rate of pay and the recognition fo the role our Lifeguards play leave a lot to be desired,” he said.
“Given the significant responsibility they carry and the important role they play in our lives, I believe that they deserve more than ¤11 or ¤12 an hour,” he told members as he called for a review of their remuneration.
Council Chief Executive Ciarán Hayes said the lifeguards pay was an matter “purely for the Executive.”
“This is not a matter for members. The issue of pay has a whole industrial process around it,” he told Cllr Bree.
Cllr Bree replied that he fully appreciated that view but added that he hoped there would be a nationwide increase into lifeguards pay.