exploitation
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Labour Rental Company Officially Bankrupt After Abuse Cases Brought To Light
In the midst of attempting a lawsuit against two labour officials for statements they made about the labour rental company, Menn Í Vinnu has officially gone bankrupt, RÚV reports. Those who feel as though the company owes them money—for back wages, for…
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Directorate Of Labour: Labour Rental Company “A Criminal Practice”
The director of Iceland’s Directorate of Labour pulled no punches when talking about Menn í vinnu, a labour rental company that was one of the subjects of a recent investigative news piece about the exploitation of foreign workers in Iceland. The president…
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Foreign Workers Subjected To Exploitation, Unions And Police Now Involved
Representatives for the Icelandic Confederation of Labour Unions (ASÍ) and the police visited the living conditions of foreign workers, most of them from Romania, where it has come to light that they have been subjected to multiple instances of worker exploitation. The…
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Our Most And Least Favourite News Stories Of 2018
2018 feels like it has lasted about five years, mostly due to the never-ending news cycle of madness coming out of the United States. But Iceland also had its share of news stories that either brightened or dimmed the general mood of…
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Icelandic Prisoners Paid Below Minimum Wage For Contracted Work
The Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ) believes the Icelandic Prison Service (FMS) is breaking labour laws by contracting out prisoners to do work for less than minimum wage, RÚV reports. The project manager of the prisoner’s department at ASÍ recently sent a…
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We Can Do Better: Anna Marjankowska Wants To Fight For Your Rights
Anna Marjankowska has a lot of irons in the fire. She’s doing extensive work at Andrými, a volunteer-run community activist centre, applying for her PhD, and working part time. But she also happens to be one of the board members of Efling,…
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Icelandic Labour Union Offers Free Event To Help Foreign Workers Know Their Rights
Efling, one of Iceland’s largest labour unions and to a large extent comprised of foreign workers, will be holding an event tomorrow to discuss work conditions in hotels and restaurants—trades that have dominated worker grievances of wage theft. The event, entitled “Is…
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Thousands Of Foreign Workers In Iceland Exploited, Indicating Systemic Problems
Thousands of foreign workers in Iceland—primarily employed in construction, hotels and restaurants—are being subjected to some of the worst examples of illegal employment practices in the country. This was examined in detail in a report from Kveikur, an investigative news show from…
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Stay Apartments Has Employee Bathroom Now
Labour supervisory authorities have approved the break room and toilet Stay Apartments have at last provided their cleaning staff. RÚV reports that the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health in Iceland (AOSH) paid a visit to Stay Apartments yesterday, in the wake…
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Unions Investigating Stay Apartments
The labour union Efling is now investigating a tourist apartment company which fired eight cleaning workers for wanting their own bathroom and break room. Tryggvi Marteinsson of Efling told Vísir that the former employees of Stay Apartments have brought their case to…
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Apartment Hotel Cleaners Fired For Complaining
All eight cleaners for a popular tourist apartment company were fired when they complained to authorities about their working conditions. RÚV reports that the employees in question had one request: staff facilities. As it is, those who clean the rooms and apartments…
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400 Slaves Working In Iceland
New research has brought to light the use of forced labour in countries around the world, and Iceland is no exception. The Global Slavery Index is the result of extensive research conducted by Gallup in countries around the world. The index aims…
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Loophole In Law Regarding Human Trafficking
The head of Iceland’s work supervisory authority says there is no law which can shut down an establishment for human trafficking. Vísir spoke with Eyjólfur Sæmundsson, the Director of the Administration of Occupational Safety and Health (AOSH), regarding a case of suspected…
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Forced Labour Case In Reykjavík Under Investigation
A disturbing case of human trafficking, forced labour, and possibly kidnapping is now being investigated by the police. Stöð 2 reports that the case concerns a woman of foreign origin who was working in a hotel in Reykjavík. None of the parties…
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Foreign Construction Workers Overworked, Underpaid
About 50 foreign construction workers were working far too many hours for far too little pay in north Iceland. A union official told reporters that “no one will get away with this kind of treatment.” Vísir reports that 50 Polish workers brought…
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Unions Step Up Efforts Against “Volunteer Jobs”
An East Iceland labour union is going to start cracking down on employers advertising for “volunteers” on foreign websites. East Iceland news service Austurfrétt reports that Sverrir Mar Albertsson, the managing director of the Union of General and Special Workers in East…
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Icewear Denies Knowledge Of Slave Labour
New developments have arisen in a case of slave labour in south Iceland. The managing director of Icewear has disavowed any knowledge of worker conditions, while the man responsible for forcing two women from Sri Lanka to sew clothing for Icewear is…
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Unions Warn Against “Volunteer Jobs”
Some employers are advertising to foreigners for volunteers to do work people are supposed to be paid for. A union official says they regularly monitor such postings, which are violations of Icelandic labour law. The website workaway.info offers volunteer jobs around the…
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Foreign Workers More Likely To Be Exploited Than Locals
A union official has confirmed that foreign workers fall victim to worker exploitation to a proportionately greater degree than their Icelandic co-workers. RÚV reports that over the past two years, the labour union Efling has dealt with some 400 cases of workers…
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Company Possibly Engaging In Worker Exploitation
Grapevine has learned of instances of worker exploitation at an Icelandic company. Two former employees of the company, one Polish and the other Icelandic, reported the same kinds of treatment. The contentions of the company head do not hold up to examination…
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Foreign Workers At Guesthouse Exploited
Two Polish workers at a south Iceland guesthouse were subjected to exploitation that is tantamount to human trafficking, union officials say. Fréttatíminn reports that two Polish women in their thirties came to Iceland in July 2014 and soon thereafter started working at…
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Foreign Workers Subjected To “Modern Slavery”
Some foreign workers in Iceland are being subjected to slavery conditions, says a union official, and the problem is nationwide. RÚV reports that The Icelandic Union of Marine Engineers and Metal Technicians (VM) has received a copy of a hiring contract for…
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Union Concerned About Foreign Worker Exploitation
The labour union Framsýn has expressed grave concern that foreign worker exploitation has become widespread in north Iceland. RÚV reports that most of these cases of illegal treatment of workers have concerned the food service, construction and tourist industries, and pertains to…