Newspaper Carriers May Strike

20 newspaper carriers for Morgunblaðið in Akureyri will go on strike if their collective bargaining conditions are not improved according to their demands.

RÚV reports that among the changes the carriers want to see is a bonus for working in the winter, as well as “time payments” – being paid for the time it takes to deliver newspaper bundles to different parts of town. The also want to see pay based on their workload. This arrangement is already in place for newspaper carriers in the capital area.

If these changes are not made by September 24, all 20 newspaper carriers for Morgunblaðið in the town will go on strike for three days: Friday, Saturday and Monday.

Carriers that reporters spoke with said that wintertime conditions in Akureyri are much more challenging for them than they are in the capital area. Winter in the north of Iceland is known for getting large amounts of snow, unlike the greater Reykjavík area.

The newspaper carriers do not just deliver Morgunblaðið, but also DV, Stundin, Fiskifréttir and Viðskiptablaðið.