Bagnino desperately wanted Italy is running out of lifeguards

As a lifeguard, Francesco Mastromauro has experienced just about everything there is to experience on Italy's beaches: the odd love affair with a holidaymaker, the eternal arguments over sandcastles and the tragedies when someone could only be pulled out of the sea dead.

Keystone-SDA

09.07.2024, 21:45

SDA

"It's a dream job for me," says the little man on the beach in Barletta, deep down south, in his tight swimming trunks. He is now 65, and in his old age he has to realize that this opinion has made him an exception in his home country.

In Italy - a country with more than 9,000 kilometers of coastline, including 3,000 kilometers of beaches, only Greece has more in Europe - there is a shortage of lifeguards. The tanned men in red tank tops, usually quite attractive and often with a whistle in their mouths, have been the heroes of every summer for generations. The bagnino, as the Italian original is known, was sung about, celebrated in the movies and became part of literature. Now, however, hardly anyone wants to be a bagnino. An almost mythological figure is possibly threatened with extinction.

Many beaches lack staff

The operators of the approximately 15,000 lidos across the country are complaining bitterly that they are running out of staff. A few weeks ago, the shortfall was officially estimated at around 4,000 positions. Now that the peak season has begun, the situation has improved somewhat. However, employers and trade unions agree that there is still a shortage of staff for around ten percent of the beaches.

In some places on the Mediterranean, the red flag is now permanently flying. Many observation towers with the sign Salvataggio (rescue) are empty, some are lying overturned on the beach. According to the regulations, there must now be a lifeguard or lifeguard every 150 meters on Italy's beaches for safety reasons. In the past, it was sufficient to have one every 600 meters.

Beach operators complain about changed times

The head of the Assobalneari beach operators' association, Fabrizio Licordari, says: "Times have changed. When we were young, we queued up to become bagnino and earn a bit of extra money in the summer. Today, it's difficult for young people to get close to the job." There are various reasons for this. In general, the supply of summer jobs in Italy's vacation resorts now exceeds demand many times over: other seasonal workers such as waiters, cooks and chambermaids are also difficult to find.

However, the search for bagnini (the plural) is even more complicated. On April 1, the government in Rome enacted a decree raising the minimum age from 16 to 18. In addition, at least 30 hours of training are required, divided into theory ("Basic concepts of environmental protection and nature conservation at bathing waters") and practice. The cost of such a course is around 500 euros (around 485 francs). At the end of the course there is an examination chaired by an official from the relevant port authority. The license must be renewed every five years.

Advertising doesn't help much either

A few years ago, Mastromauro had three dozen budding lifeguards in training on the beach in Barletta. Now there are just six young men - which is by no means only due to the fact that Italy has a very below-average birth rate in Europe - and one young woman. "You have to get up early, put up with the heat and take responsibility," he says. "Nowadays, young people prefer to do something else, preferably on the computer." Advertising campaigns via job centers, on social networks or in upper school classes have had little effect.

What's more, the pay is not great. At the beach in Barletta, he earns six euros an hour, working shifts from 8.00 a.m. to 6.00 p.m., with an hour's break at lunchtime. Incidentally, this is the reason why the red flag often flies on Italian beaches between 1 p.m. and 2 p.m., regardless of weather conditions and swell.

Hourly wage of 4.50 euros

Officially, the national employment contract for the tourist industry also applies to bagnini, with a net salary of 1,200 euros (around 1,160 francs), which rises according to classification. However, in a survey recently conducted by the Adnkronos news agency, the trade unions complained that wages are often below the pay scale, with some hourly rates as low as 4.50 euros (4.37 francs). The beach operators earn good money by renting out parasols and sunbeds, as is common in Italy. In some places, they charge 60 euros (around 58 francs) and more per day.

Despite all this, there are still people who want to become bagnino. Like Andrea Ripretti from a neighboring village of Barletta, who Mastromauro is currently trying to teach how to use the lifeboat. "I enjoy it more than hanging out at the computer," says the 20-year-old, who has just finished school. "You meet lots of people and do something useful. I feel like I'm really useful." His teacher stands next to him, smiling. He then pats Andrea on the shoulder with satisfaction.