The United Services Union (USU), on behalf of the lifeguards, has filed proceedings against their employer, City of Coffs Harbour Council, in the NSW Industrial Relations Commission (IRC) to try to resolve the issue.

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The lifeguards say this has been building for years.

Representatives of both parties appeared before the IRC last week, where they will report back on 6 January, 2025, on their attempts to broker a solution.

USU Northern Industrial Officer Noel Martin said, “Our members have been raising this issue as a matter of urgency with Council management for several years, yet it falls on deaf ears.”

He said principal among the lifeguards’ concerns were recurring budgetary shortfalls, and the need for adequate staffing and rostering to address service level changes.

Mr Martin said there was an increasing reliance on on-call lifeguards during the regular working week.

Lifeguards were also unhappy with weekend on-call arrangements, which had seen some of them required to work up to 21 days straight.

The council’s Acting Director City Planning and Communities Ian Fitzgibbon said current lifeguard service resourcing and associated arrangements had been determined “for some time”.

“The union’s claim that there are currently eight unfilled positions in the City’s lifeguard service is incorrect,” Mr Fitzgibbon said.

“All permanent roles are occupied and as of mid-November, we have in excess of 20 casuals engaged to ensure adequate coverage for the agreed patrol hours over the lifeguarding season.

This includes an additional lifeguard at Park and Sawtell beaches for the peak holiday period.

“The City has driven major recruitment campaigns, including in the current year and in 2023-24, and this has resulted in the City having at least seven more casual employees available than for the previous season.”

Mr Fitzgibbon said City of Coffs Harbour had a projected expenditure in lifeguard services this financial year of $1.045 million – an increase of more than 24 percent over the past two years.

He said the proposed roster for the 2024-25 peak season “provides that our lifeguards are not rostered on for more than five consecutive days”.

“We are also providing additional qualifications and competency training to all levels of lifeguards, including casuals, to ensure ongoing flexibility within the team.”

However, Mr Martin said lifeguards were frustrated at constant callbacks to the beach after they had already completed a day’s work and wanted that to be factored into rostering.

As well as increased staffing, the lifeguards are also pushing for an extension of patrols from 5pm to 7pm to cover the period when many people head to the beach at the end of their working day.

“I’m confident and hopeful that this will be resolved,” Mr Martin said.

“The last thing we want our members attending is a fatality.

“We live in a pristine part of the world. We like to see people enjoying the beaches but they need to be adequately resourced and adequately staffed.

“We’re happy to keep talking to Council, because at the end of the day this is about public safety.”

City of Coffs Harbour provides lifeguard services at Park Beach, Sawtell Beach, Diggers Beach, Emerald Beach, Woolgoolga Beach, Red Rock Beach and Jetty Beach.

By Mike HELY