The annual general meeting of Efling – union took place via Zoom last night. The turnout was good with almost 90 people in attendance.In a report regarding the work of the board, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chairman of Efling spoke about the effects of the Covid pandemic on the members of Efling and the challenges with which they’ve been faced, including an increased workload in various professions and unemployment, which has hit a large group of people hard. She went over some points regarding the survey conducted by Varða, which has revealed that the situation of working people in the greater Reykjavik area is often utterly unacceptable and while it was bad to begin with it has worsened considerably in the pandemic. She also spoke of how an increased emphasis on the work of the delegate council, at the behest of the board, has yielded positive results in several important respects, for instance regarding the revision of collective agreements, the power of fund members in the pension fund system, negotiations and strikes. Sólveig Anna then concluded with the following remarks: “We are indispensable and, now that the economy is coming back to life, economic growth in this country will once again be created by our labor. Without us the wheels of the economy cannot turn. That is the simple fact of the matter. Because we are indispensable in every way, we will win the fight for a better life. I am sure of it.”The annual report was presented by an accountant and approved unanimously.No one ran against Sólveig Anna and her list of candidates and, therefore, the board was elected by default. The vice chairman of the board is Agniezka Ewa Ziólkowska. Other members of the board of Efling are Eva Ágústsdóttir, Daníel Örn Arnarsson, Felix Kofi Adjahoe, Kolbrún Valvesdóttir, Guðmundur Baldursson, Michael Bragi Whalley, Innocentia Fiati, Ólöf Helga Adolfsdóttir, Jóna Sveinsdóttir, Stefán E. Sigurðsson, Úlfar Snæbjörn Magnússon, Zsófía Sidlovits and Saviour De-Graft Ametefio, who is a recent addition and will replace Þorsteinn M. Kristjánsson. Þorsteinn is retiring from the board of Efling after many long and successful years.As Saviour was welcomed, Þorsteinn was thanked for his unique fidelity and good work on behalf of the union for many years. Þorsteinn sat in the board of Efling for many years, fulfilling many commissions of trust for the union. He was given the title of honorary member of Efling and was given the golden badge of the union. At that moment, Sólveig Anna said: “I would like to use this opportunity to thank you for your unique trustworthiness in your work for the union as a board member and as a union representative in your workplace. Since I took over as the chairman of the union in the spring of 2018, you have almost never missed a board meeting. Your presence has always been comforting in the many challenges with which we’ve been faced after certain changes in the structure of our union. I regret that because of external circumstances you weren’t able to bear the flag of Efling in a parade on May 1st, as you have so many times before, but I know that you will bear the golden badge of the union with the same dignity.”
