Chisinau lifeguards quit their jobs because of low salaries

Low salaries of about 800 lei ($72) a month and the lack of professional training institutions have led to a dramatic reduction in the number of lifeguard personnel at the swimming areas in Chisinau, said Eliferie Haruta, the head of the Green Space Association, the municipal division responsible for the field. While 37 accidents have occurred in the city’s ponds since the start of the year, only 9 out of 30 swimming areas have lifeguard units. Inspections carried out by the Emergencies Department at these units revealed serious shortcomings in their activity: they employ only 62 percent of the personnel needed, and the state of roughly 85 percent of equipment is unsatisfactory. Contacted by Info-Prim Neo, Haruta complained about financial problems. “Of the 2.8 million lei needed to pay salaries, only 1.2 million lei were allocated from the budget. And now, five months into this year, we’ve ran out of this sum. Needless to say, there’s no money for equipment purchases and repair”, said Haruta. To improve the situation, the Green Space Association is considering the opportunity to transfer the administration of the lifeguard units to the Emergencies Department, which intends to share the costs of maintaining these units with the economic entities doing business in the proximity of the swimming areas. Last week alone, 8 drowning fatalities occurred in Moldova.