Words by

Andie Sophia Fontaine

Photo by

Frikki

Workers in the Union of Public Servants (SFR) and the Paramedics Society of Iceland (SLFÍ) have voted to go on strike.

In a statement posted on their website, SFR announced that about 64% of SFR workers and about 70% of SLFÍ workers took part in the vote. Of those, just over 85% of SFR workers and 91% of SLFÍ workers voted in favour of going on strike.

The strikes will begin on October 15 if no collective bargaining agreement is reached with state negotiators. Workers in SFR and SLFÍ are employed by the county office (sýslumaðurinn), the tax office, the national hospital, customs, and various health clinics – to name just a few of their workplaces.

These strikes will initially take the form of a series of 48-hour work stoppages, but workers at some locations will begin their indefinite strike right away. If no agreement is still reached by November 16, an indefinite strike will begin.

The stoppages will abide the following schedule, beginning and ending at midnight of the days listed:
October 15-16
October 19-20
October 29-30
November 2-3
November 12-13

SFR workers at the following locations will begin an indefinite strike on October 15:
The National University Hospital of Iceland
Directorate of Internal Revenue
Directorate of Customs
Sýslumaðurinn á Aursturlandi
Sýslumaðurinn á höfuðborgarsvæðinu
Sýslumaðurinn á Norðurlandi eystra Sýslumaðurinn á Norðurlandi vestra
Sýslumaðurinn á Suðurlandi
Sýslumaðurinn á Suðurnesjum
Sýslumaðurinn á Vestfjörðum
Sýslumaðurinn í Vestmannaeyjum
Sýslumaðurinn á Vesturlandi

SLFÍ will engage in work stoppages at the National University Hospital of Iceland, from 8:00 to 16:00, on the following days:
October 21-13, 26-28, November 4-6, 9-11.