A delegation from Efling participated in a Nordic conference of security guard unions in Korpilampi in Finland during September 14-17. The conference brought together members, union reps, staff, and leadership of the unions, all of which are members of the federation SUN. Sectoral conferences of this kind are held every other year and the member unions take turns hosting them. The program began on Monday afternoon with inauguration and so-called country reports, where representatives from each union went over the state of affairs in the economy, bargaining, and politics in their home countries. On Tuesday, the program began with a presentation on a detailed comparison of security guards’ collective agreements in the Nordics. Most of the work going into the comparison was undertaken by Efling, with the presentation delivered by Efling staff member Eleonora Maximciuc. On the same day, technological developments in the guard sector, including AI, were discussed, and three scholars from the Nordics gave presentations on research relevant to the sector. Viðar Þorsteinsson, director of education and membership affairs, lead a panel discussion with the presenters. The Wednesday program began with a presentation from Adam Fishwick, adjunct professor at the University of Iceland, where he showcased his research on union renewal. His research project focuses on Efling Union. After that, Mark Bergfeld from UNI Europa gave a talk via videolink on work being undertaken at the European level to protect guards’ rights. In the afternoon, participants went on a sightseeing trip to the historic Sveaborg – Suomenlinna fortress just outside Helsinki. The final topic of the conference, on Thursday morning, was the organization of security guard training and certification in the Nordics, with each union giving a detailed presentation on the requirements of the respective country regarding the profession’s vocational training. Viðar Þorsteinsson and Sigrún Björg Guðmundsdóttir, vocational training officer at Efling, delivered a presentation on Efling’s behalf and participated in discussions. In the conference’s discussion of vocational training, it came clearly to light how far ahead of Iceland the other Nordic countries are in this area when it comes to the security guard professions. All the Nordic countries except Iceland make demands to security guards for certain training and education, which are generally found in legislation. Furthermore, the parties to the labor market have worked closely together on developing course curriculums and training certificates. Sweden is among the leaders, where the union Transport has along with the employers’ federation set up a major institute, BYA, which handles all vocational training matters and other professional matters of the sector. Multiple opportunities were created for communication and networking during breaks, common meals, and other informal shared time. It is no exaggeration to say that Efling staff and leadership returned home from the conference with rich resources in the form of knowledge, connections, and useful information about existing models when it comes to professional development in the guard sector. The next task for the union is to build on this work in dialogue with guards themselves, their companies, training providers, and the government. The Efling delegation at the conference was comprised of the following individuals: Atli Antonsson, project manager in membership affairs Eleonora Maximciuc, advisor in labor rights Sigrún Björg Guðmundsdóttir, vocational training officer Viðar Þorsteinsson, director of education and membership affairs Þórir Jóhannesson, vice chairman of Efling and union rep of dockworkers at Samskip The unions represented at the conference, in addition to Efling, were the following: Norsk arbeidsmandsforbund (NAF) from Norway. NAF also represents cleaners, and Efling has collaborated with the union’s cleaning division at SUN level VSL from Denmark. VSL only bargains for security guards, and is the only dedicated security guard union in the Nordics. PAM from Finland. As with NAF, PAM negotiates also for cleaners and is a member of the SUN cleaning branch. Transportarbetareforbundet from Sweden, commonly referenced as Transport. The union makes collective agreements for truck drivers, dockworkers, and other professions in the transportation field.
Sebastian Wójcik’s photograph of an Arctic fox, taken at Hesteyri in the Jökulfirðir fjords, has been named the winning photograph in Efling’s 2026 photography competition. The photograph shows the fox standing thoughtfully on the shore at Hesteyri, just a short distance from the photographer, with what appears to be a faint smile on its face as it gazes at Sebastian with its yellow eyes. The theme of this year’s competition, as in previous years, was summer holiday in Iceland. The standard of the photographs submitted was exceptionally high, and the subjects were varied. Wildlife and Iceland’s natural beauty were particularly prominent themes, which is hardly surprising given the country’s spectacular landscapes and its beautiful flora and fauna. Dozens of photographs were submitted by Efling members, making the judges’ task far from easy. As a result, the jury decided to award a prize for fourth place as well. Normally, prizes are awarded only for the top three entries. The winners receive cash prizes: ISK 50,000 for first place and ISK 25,000 for second through fourth place. The jury’s results are as follows: place: Sebastian Wójcik, Smiling Arcitic Fox , taken at Hesteyri place: Paweł Cieślikiewicz, Hunting Kría , taken at Jökulsárlón place: Karolina Zyzik, Shades of Icelandic Green, taken in Þórsmörk place: Mark Stache, Horses and Flowers In addition to the winning photographs, a number of photographs that received special commendations from the jury can be seen below. Some of these photographs will be displayed in Efling’s holiday houses, where members will be able to enjoy them. Efling warmly congratulates the winners and thanks everyone who took part in the competition.
Mynd Sebastians Wójcik af tófu, tekin á Hesteyri í Jökulfjörðum, er mynd ársins í ljósmyndasamkeppni Eflingar árið 2026. Myndin sýnir tófuna, í miklu návígi við ljósmyndarann, standa íhugula og hálf glottandi í fjörunni á Hesteyri, starandi á Sebastian með gulleitum glyrnum sínum. Þema keppninnar í ár, sem og fyrri ár, var frí innanlands. Gæði myndanna sem bárust voru afar mikil og viðfangsefnin margþætt. Þó má segja dýralíf og náttúrufegurð hafi verið mest áberandi þráðurinn, og það ekki að ósekju enda Ísland stórbrotið og bæði flóra landsins og fána fagrar. Tugir mynda bárust frá félögum í Eflingu og var val dómnefndar síður en svo auðvelt. Af þeim sökum varð niðurstaða dómnefndar að lokum að veita einnig verðlaun fyrir 4. sæti en alla jafna hafa bara verið veitt verðlaun fyrir þrjú efstu sætin. Veitt eru peningaverðlaun til verðlaunahafa, 50 þúsund krónur fyrir fyrsta sæti en 25 þúsund krónur fyrir sæti 2.-4. Niðurstaða dómnefndar er eftirfarandi: sæti: Sebastian Wójcik. Brosandi tófa , tekin á Hesteyri sæti: Paweł Cieślikiewicz. Kría á veiðum , tekin í Jökulsárlóni sæti: Karolina Zyzik. Blæbrigði hins græna Íslands , tekin í Þórsmörk sæti: Mark Stache. Hestar og blóm . Auk vinningsmyndanna má sjá hér að neðan fjölda mynda sem fengu sérstakar heiðurstilnefningar frá dómnefnd. Hluti myndanna verður hengdur upp í orlofshúsum Eflingar þar sem félagsfólk fær að njóta þeirra. Efling óskar vinningshöfum innilega til hamingju og þakkar öllum sem tóku þátt í keppninni.
