I have some news to share that may or may not impact travelers to Iceland. I’ve been holding off on talking about the current labor strikes because they have yet to have a big impact on the everyday lives of most people living in Reykjavik or people visiting. However, that might change in the coming days or week if the strike continues and a work ban happens.
While there are a lot of drama that I could go into about what is happening behind the scenes, I decided to give an abridged yet still informative synopsis about what is happening.
The Short Backstory About the Labor Strikes
Efling, one of the largest labor unions in Iceland, has been fighting for higher wages for their members. Due to inflation, the cost of food and other items have gone way up and current minimum wage salaries are not cutting it as a livable wage.
Many members in this union are on the lower end of the pay scale. They work in hotels, drive trucks, staff in hospitals, police officers and so on. Well, Efling and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprises (SA) have not been able to strike a deal when it comes to companies agreeing to pay their employees more. To demonstrate their stance on demanding more pay, over 40% of Efling members voted for some kind of strike.
Of the 21,000+ members in Efling about 2,000 are currently on strike. In response to the the strikes, about 94.73% of the companies that are members of the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprises have voted in favor of a work ban or lock out.
This work ban means that all of the members of Efling, regardless if they are actively taking part in the strikes, will be barred from working and will not be paid while the work ban is in effect. Originally, the work ban was scheduled for March 2nd but it has now been postponed until March 6th.
What The Strikes Mean for Travelers in Iceland
The truck drivers on strike are not delivering fuel to gas stations and there is concern that stations in Reykjavik, the Reykjanes Peninsula (where the airport is located), South Iceland, West Iceland, and the Westfjords will run out of fuel. Other individuals that are on strike clean hotels in the Reykjavik capital area. If you are planning to stay at the following hotels, you might experience a disruption in service or a cancellation of your accommodations:
- Hotel Reykjavik Saga
- Fosshotel Rauðará
- Fosshotel Lind
- Berjaya Reykjavík Natura Hotel
- Hilton Reykjavík Nordic
- Berjaya Reykjavík Marina Hotel
If you find that your hotel accommodations have been cancelled and you can not rebook your accommodations somewhere else, there is an emergency number you can call. It is open for 12 hours a day (8 AM – 8 PM GMT. The number is +354-891-7765.
One major thing to consider is if the work ban goes into effect on March 6th, then tourism and other industries in the country might grind to a halt. The Confederation of Icelandic Enterprises has stated that emergency workers like the police, hospital workers, rescue team members and so on when not take part in the work ban. That is one reassurance for all of anyone concerned about getting any type of care during all of this. There is also no current concern about stores running out of food or anything like that.
List of Fuel Stations in Iceland
Here is a list of websites for the largest fuel stations in the country. They are showing which stations of theirs have fuel and which have run out. Not all of the sites are in English. The word opið means the station is open and lokað means it is closed.
- https://www.olis.is/um-olis/frettir/275
- https://www.atlantsolia.is/stadan-a-bensinstodvunum/
- https://www.orkan.is/verkfall/
- https://www.n1.is/opnar-daelur/
According to the Icelandic tourism board, the FlyBus that transports people to and from the airport will continue to run. Also, the public bus, Stræto, in Reykjavík will continue to run on schedule too for the time being.
Random Fact of the Episode
You might be wondering what the Icelandic government has to say about all of this. Well, I did too and here is the consenus at the moment. According to an article published today, February 28th, the Icelandic Parliament does not believe they should step in. They believe that the state appointed mediator Ástráður Haraldsson will handle it and find an agreeable solution for both parties. However, if the dispute escalates to a place where public safety is threatened, the government will step in and make a decision. I guess we just have to wait and see what happens.
Icelandic Word of the Episode
verkfall = strike
I sincerely hope all of this comes to leads to a better situation for the workers and that your travel plans are not impacted.
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