The Chair of the Efling Union has requested a meeting with the Prime Minister following the latter’s comments on the state mediator’s mediating proposal, Vísir reports. As the courts review the legality of Efling’s first round of strikes, the union expects to vote on further strike action tomorrow.
Sólveig Anna demands a meeting
Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, Chair of the Efling Union, has requested a meeting with PM Katín Jakobsdóttir regarding the latter’s comments on the state mediator’s mediating proposal (i.e. miðlunartillaga); following a cabinet meeting on Wednesday, Katrín stated that she believed the mediator’s proposal passes scrutiny:
“It’s clear that this mediation proposal has been submitted. I’m not in a position to assess its legality exactly, but as far as I see it, and according to the experts with which I’ve consulted, it passes scrutiny,” Katrín observed.
Sólveig subsequently sent a letter to the PM where she requested that Katrín share the advice of the experts in question so that Efling could take that advice into account. In a post on Facebook yesterday morning, Sólveig Anna stated that she had still not received an answer from the PM. According to information from the Prime Minister’s Office, upon request from Vísir, the letter will be answered, although further detail was not provided.
Strikes at Íslandshótel hotels to begin Tuesday
The Efling Union’s strike at the Íslandshotel hotels will, barring any change, commence on Tuesday. Iceland’s Labour Court has yet to rule on the legality of the strike, however, with the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise (SA) having deemed it inadmissible to start strike action before votes have been cast on the mediator’s proposal. The Labour Court is expected to begin hearing the case on Friday. One expert believes that the court will rule that the strikes are illegal.
As noted by Vísir, there will be some time before votes are cast on the state mediator’s proposal as the mediator is still waiting for Efling’s electoral roll to be delivered; the union has refused to hand over the electoral roll as it deems the mediator’s proposal illegal. The Reykjavík District Court is currently reviewing the legality of the proposal.
Further strike action planned
In the meantime, Efling has called for further strike action. Voting on further strikes is set to begin at noon tomorrow. The strikes consist of temporary work stoppages by Efling members at Olíudreifing, Skeljungur, Samskip, Berjaya hotels (formerly Icelandair hotels), and the Edition hotel.
As noted by Vísir, Skeljungur handles the transportation of fuel to the Reykjavík Airport; a disruption could affect domestic flights, but how soon depends, among other things, on the inventory status at the field. According to information from Icelandair, the matter is being examined and the situation analysed in cooperation with the fire department.
A strike at Olíudreifing could have a major impact on the public given that the transport of fuel to gas stations in the capital area would come to a halt. According to information from Olíudreifing, gas tanks at stations could be empty in a few days. But how quickly that happens depends, among other things, on the stock level and whether consumers would begin hoarding gasoline before that time.
