Efling Union wishes its members and everyone a happy Pride, which culminates next Saturday with the Pride Parade. Efling stands with LGBTQIA+ people in their fight for human rights and freedom, a fight that benefits all people. The fight for equality is ever threatened by prejudice and backlash, which unfortunately has been increasingly seen in Iceland in recent times, not least towards trans people. Efling members come in all colors of the rainbow and are certainly used to fighting prejudice and for their rights. We all walk shoulder to shoulder with LGBTQIA+ people in their struggle, now and always.
Efling stéttarfélag óskar félagsfólki sínu og landsmönnum öllum til hamingju með Hinsegin daga sem ná hámarki sínu næstkomandi laugardag með Gleðigöngunni. Efling stendur með hinsegin fólki í baráttu þess fyrir mannréttindum og frelsi, baráttu sem gagnast öllu fólki. Jafnréttisbaráttu stafar sífellt meiri ógn af fordómum og bakslagi, sem hefur því miður orðið vart í auknum mæli hér á landi á síðustu misserum, ekki síst í garð trans fólks. Eflingarfólk tilheyrir öllum litum regnbogans og er sannarlega ekki óvant því að berjast gegn fordómum og fyrir réttindum sínum. Við göngum öll öxl í öxl með hinsegin systkinum okkar í þeirra baráttu, hér eftir sem hingað til.
At the end of June, representatives of Efling attended a conference held by UNI Global, the international federation that Efling joined at the beginning of the year. The conference was the regular conference of UNI Europa Property Services, the UNI division that coordinates cooperation between European affiliate unions in the cleaning and security sectors. The conference took place in Paris, at the offices of the French trade union CFDT Services in the 19th arrondissement, a historic working-class district of the city. Efling was represented at the conference by Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chair of the union, and Viðar Þorsteinsson, director of education and social affairs. The programme began on Wednesday, 24 June, with discussions including UNI’s campaign to organise cleaning work during daytime hours. The campaign is called the European Daytime Cleaning Alliance and involves cooperation with employers as well as advocacy at European Union level. On Thursday, 25 June, Viðar took part in a panel discussion with trade union representatives from Belgium and Italy on the findings of an extensive comparative survey commissioned by UNI on collective agreements for security guards and cleaners in Europe. Efling was one of the respondents to the survey. In his contribution, Viðar described Efling’s work in the cleaning sector, which has included increased monitoring of workload, work pace and working conditions among cleaners, as well as communication with public authorities on these issues. The conference programme included panel discussions on a wide range of topics. These included the conditions of migrants and women, issues of particular relevance to the cleaning sector, and the work of UNI and its affiliates to hold large multinational companies in cleaning and security services accountable for workers’ welfare regardless of location, including through so-called global agreements. At the end of the day on Thursday, members of the French trade union CFDT gave speeches in which they discussed their working conditions and terms of employment. The final day of the conference, Friday, 26 June, began with discussions on public procurement. UNI has advocated for stricter requirements concerning workers’ rights in procurement processes. Cleaning and security services are both examples of work that public institutions and municipalities are increasingly outsourcing to private companies. Representatives of UNI affiliates on the panel described how unions in their countries have sought to have a positive influence on government procurement policy and to counteract procurement practices that encourage a “race to the bottom” through competition at the expense of workers’ rights and welfare. French economist François-Xavier Devetter, professor at the University of Lille, then gave a presentation on his research into the position of cleaners in France. He has devoted much of his research to this field and has published books on the subject. The closing remarks of the conference were delivered by Zeynep Biçici, a leader and chief negotiator for cleaners within the German trade union IG BAU. She is also president of UNI Europa Property Services and was re-elected to the position at the conference. Participants at the conference included leaders and staff from Nordic trade unions with which Efling has already built ties through SUN. “ After taking part in the UNI Europa Property Services conference, I am convinced of the value of participating in international trade union cooperation. It gives us the opportunity to learn from the best work being done by our sister unions and to strengthen our knowledge of conditions in the sectors where our members are in the most vulnerable position, which is especially true of the cleaning sector. In both cleaning and security services, there are large companies operating across national borders. When trade unions are able to exchange information and share their experience, it makes a decisive difference to our position in relation to employers , ” said Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chair of Efling. “ The cleaning sector has been a major focus for Efling in recent months. Our communication with sister unions in the Nordic countries on issues relating to the sector has already been very useful, and it seems to me that cooperation with European unions will be useful as well ,” said Viðar Þorsteinsson.
