Lifeguards will stage an eight-hour strike in Rimini on Saturday, one of the busiest beach weekends, leaving shores unmonitored. The walkout was called by the Filcams Cgil union, which will also hold a protest march from 12:30 PM along the waterfront to Piazzale Boscovich, urging tourists and residents to show solidarity.
The protest disrupts a season already marred by uncertainties over beach concessions and disappointing visitor numbers. It targets a new ordinance requiring lifeguards to work through lunch breaks (12:30-2:30 PM) in rotating shifts while doubling their surveillance area from 150 to 300 meters of shoreline. The union supports extending rescue services “only if implemented seriously—without overburdening workers or compromising safety.”
Beach operators have criticized the mobilization. Mauro Vanni of Confartigianato’s beach businesses association told *Il Resto del Carlino*: “No one consulted us to arrange minimum services. We sought guidance from the Prefecture but received no instructions. For us, it’s a normal workday.” Vanni also questioned the union’s localized action: “This ordinance is national—all Italian coasts follow the same schedule. Yet only here do they strike.”
The Cgil union retorted by accusing local politicians and administrators of “deafening silence,” expressing willingness to negotiate for “more responsible management of the service.”
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