The majority of the members of Iceland’s flight attendants union (FFÍ) denied a new collective bargaining agreement signed by the State Conciliation Commissioner on June 25 in a vote that ended yesterday.
Icelandair will now evaluate the agreement and its possibilities. The agreement was denied by a majority of 73% of FFÍ members according to statements from Icelandair and the FFÍ.
Bogi Nils Bogason, CEO of Icelandair Group, voiced his disappointment and said that every effort has been made to reach agreements in recent weeks and months, according to Vísir. Bogi says the contract was the best one offered and it was disappointing that it was canceled.
Icelandair says that the agreement was in line with the objectives that were proposed to increase the work contribution, while at the same time protecting the disposable income of flight attendants. The agreement also supposedly contributed to increased flexibility, both for the development of Icelandair’s route system and at the same time, flexibility in the work contribution for staff.
Icelandair has already concluded agreements with pilots and aircraft operators. Long-term agreements with the airline are one of the prerequisites for the company to be able to complete the financial restructuring of the company which is currently underway and have planned a share offering.
An announcement from FFÍ states that the association’s talks with Icelandair will be resumed as soon as possible.
As reported by Vísir, they went on to say:
“The Board of Directors and the negotiating committee of FFÍ thank the members for their solidarity and support that has been abundant in recent months. The turnout was very good, or 85.3%, and it shows the responsibility and interest of members in their working conditions and work environment. The fact that a new collective bargaining agreement has been decisively canceled shows that members believe that the efficacy demands of the new agreement have gone too far.”
Note: Due to the effect the Coronavirus is having on tourism in Iceland, it’s become increasingly difficult for the Grapevine to survive. If you enjoy our content and want to help the Grapevine’s journalists do things like eat and pay rent, please consider joining our High Five Club.
You can also support us by checking out our shop, loaded with books, apparel and other cool merch, that you can buy and have delivered right to your door.
Buy subscriptions, t-shirts and more from our shop right here!
