Since the dispute with the City of Reykjavík was referred to the state mediator, three formal meetings have been held. There has been marginal progress and decent discussions about the demands of Efling have taken place, although a solution is not in sight. In addition to the formal meetings with the state mediator, one meeting has been held in a subgroup regarding the work environment in the city’s public workplaces. More meetings are scheduled to take place in the following weeks.The representatives of Efling, lead by chairman Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, have visited union members in the workplaces run by the City of Reykjavík as the wage negotiations with the municipal authorities are at their highest. The purpose is to speak with union members and listen to what they have to say. Judging by these visits, it’s clear that the people of Efling who work for the city have long since had enough of this situation and are ready for a fight to bring forth change.Negotiations with the Federation of Local Authorities in Iceland (Samband íslenskra sveitarfélaga – SÍS) have not yielded much to speak of. After a new schedule for negotiations was drafted and the referral to the state mediator withdrawn, a series of meetings have taken place between the parties. Various things have been discussed and although one might say that the conversation is going much better, no conclusion seems to be on the horizon.It has not been deemed necessary to refer negotiations with the state to the state mediator, as a dialogue has begun between the parties, although the pace of talks is rather slow. A subgroup was established, to which representatives of Efling were appointed, which has submitted proposals for changes in the collective agreement because of shift work. The plan is to continue that work but negotiations need to progress further before that is possible.Those negotiating collective agreements for privately run nursing homes have used the negotiations with the sate as a point of reference and will therefore wait for their conclusion before commencing negotiations with the nursing homes.There is no indication that an agreement will be reached swiftly.Most public employees have received a deposit for the coming collective agreements for the sum of 105 thousand from the City of Reykjavík and the state and 125 thousand from SÍS. It is the common understanding of the contracting parties that this sum is part of the imminent changes in wages during the duration of the renewed collective agreements between the parties and will be counted as part of their cost impact.
