According to one of the major workers’ unions, the CGT, sea-rescue launches are undermanned and are demanding a crew made up of at least four, permanent members.

The salvamares (sea-rescue launches) based in  Almería and Motril already have a crew of four but the work contracts are temporary ones that are extended year after year instead of making them permanent contracts.

The CGT point out that the lifeboat crews are not asking for higher wages or more time off, but solely more hands on deck.

So far the new government has only agreed to employ a 4th member of a crew on a temporary contract of three months, says the union, and then only in the case of Salvamar Al Nair based in Lanzarote.

Finally, the CGT says that financial resources are wasted on management/administrative posts, normally filled by politicians, instead of going to the grass-roots end where the manpower is sorely needed.

(News: Costa Tropical, Granada, Andalucia)