Members of the public are being warned that lifeguards are not guaranteed to show up for duty this coming weekend at the nation’s beaches.
Yesterday, a contingent of lifeguards protested outside the Ministry of Tourism, Tower C, Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain, over unpaid salaries for the last month.
In a brief phone interview yesterday, Augustus Sylvester, NUGFW branch president for lifeguards, said they had been transferred to the Ministry of National Security by the new People’s National Movement (PNM) administration.
Sylvester said the lifeguards were warning members of the public it was not guaranteed they would be working this weekend.
“We haven’t gotten any official document indicating it. We just tried to highlight the situation. We want to caution the public that if we don’t get our salary or a date... we want to enlighten them (public) just be careful or forget that lime,” he added.
He said the lifeguards have not received a salary since last month.
He noted: “There was no explanation given, knowing the ministry would have allocation for the end of the financial year which ended September 30. Our last fortnight ended September 25.
“The Tourism Ministry hasn’t given us anything (information) on that. That is to show you the incompetence, so we don't know who we have to deal with.”