A View from the Ranks of Efling Jacob Barker skrifar 24. janúar 2023 14:31 In a recent interview with mbl.is, the secretary of Efling, Ólöf Helga Adolfsdóttir, said that people are willing “to blindly follow” the union’s chairman, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir. I found this statement quite frustrating, because according to my experience, Sólveig Anna is one of the only public figures in Iceland who seems to understand and honestly assess the current struggles of the lowest-paid workers. We can all see for ourselves, if we bother to look, that Sólveig has been consistent in her messaging and steadfast in her service to the union’s members. Most of us do see what Sólveig has accomplished with the union, and indeed, we want to see more of it. This enthusiasm was clear to me through Sólveig’s re-election to the position of Chairman amid a media smear-campaign against her, and while working with her and others on strike actions after the last negotiations failed. Here's what most fail to see: blaming Sólveig for either the perceived faults or the successes of Efling as a union looks past what I believe to be the most important reason she has so much support: She is organizing the union democratically to encourage workers' participation in claiming their own power. The negotiation committee met over twenty times before talks were formally cut and everyone has seen the interest and enthusiasm of the membership in our project at the meetings with the state negotiator and SA. Efling stands united. The game is rigged Here’s what else I see, from my perspective as a U.S. American immigrant here in Iceland since 2016: Most of the time I have been employed in Iceland, I was not paid in accordance with union contracts and standards, nor was I paid according to my actual experience level (I have an open claim against one company from 2019 …still waiting). Wage theft accounts for more total theft than all other forms of stealing combined and yet there is no effective recourse for workers who have been robbed blind by their employers. I see more and more foreign workers arriving to an impossible housing situation while hotels rise on every corner and private rentals turn profits with hardly any regulation to speak of. I see the unending epidemic of young men dying here while the city government discusses construction of a sporting arena. It sure does make me feel right back at home again – not in a good way. Union culture is a strong tool By the way, my home in the U.S. is Asheville, North Carolina. A friend recently established the first union in that city for workers in the vast bar industry. I myself only had the privilege of union membership for the first time in my life when I arrived to Iceland. I see here what a colossal difference strong union culture can make in the struggle for workers to just get a bit of relief from the grind and also have their interests actually represented. We should not take the privilege for granted, because it won’t surprise me if the long game here by those who would be pleased to see less worker power is weakening of the unions to such a degree that they are no longer effective or can be dismantled. Solidarity with striking workers everywhere and every time is the best and most basic way to ensure that doesn’t happen. We are sure of our vision and we know what's best for us I also see the establishment media becoming absolutely obsessed with the Chairman of Efling and going to every inconceivable length to assassinate her character and pretend that she is “bad” for workers and her own union. All these claims (just like the suggestion of Ólöf’s that Efling’s members aren’t intelligent enough to see for ourselves and draw conclusions) are offensive to me as a member of Efling and as someone who supports Sólveig Anna’s leadership, because they attempt to invalidate my own agency and autonomy, my own good judgement and intuition, as a worker and active union member. As if the other trade union leaders are hitting us over the head with their signed contracts shouting, “This is for your own good!” Let's stand together The chairman of Efling has the support of the members, as evidenced by two fair elections. She is simply doing her job and, in my opinion, doing it well. As I said to someone online recently regarding the debate about cost of living in the capital area: Don’t get upset that Efling is demanding more and consider instead putting pressure on your own union to do the same! Efling is not the bad guy for recognizing that workers need and deserve more, especially during years of record profits for the largest and most powerful business interests – and Efling is not the bad guy for organizing and acting accordingly. Finally, I see that all these obstacles, all of the unfounded claims and insults to both Sólveig and the members of Efling, are clear indications that we are doing well, perhaps better than some might have imagined. Áfram Efling! Höfundur er innflytjandi og meðlimur Eflingar. Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein Ólga innan Eflingar Stéttarfélög Kjaramál Kjaraviðræður 2022-23 Mest lesið Krónan, Nettó, Hagkaup, Bónus - það er kominn tími á formlega sniðgöngu Helen Ólafsdóttir Skoðun Ef Veðurstofan spáði vitlausu veðri í 40 ár, væri það bara í lagi? Björn Ólafsson Skoðun „Finnst ykkur skrýtið að ég mæti á Austurvöll – Pabba mínum var fórnað á altari niðurskurðar“ Davíð Bergmann Skoðun Málþófið er séríslenskt Bryndís Haraldsdóttir Skoðun Það sem ekki má segja um það sem enginn vill sjá Viðar Hreinsson Skoðun Hvers vegna skipta hagsmunir verslanakeðja meira máli en öryggi barna í Ásahverfi Reykjanesbæ? Ólafur Ívar Jónsson Skoðun Af hverju er verðbólga ennþá svona há? Ólafur Margeirsson Skoðun Hægri sósíalismi Jón Ingi Hákonarson Skoðun Þingmenn auðvaldsins Karl Héðinn Kristjánsson Skoðun 80.000 manna klóakrennsli í Dýrafjörð í boði Arctic Fish Jón Kaldal Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Til varnar jafnlaunavottun Magnea Marinósdóttir skrifar Skoðun Heimaþjónusta og velferðartækni: Lykillinn að sjálfbæru heilbrigðiskerfi Auður Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Barnaræninginn Pútín Gunnar Hólmsteinn Ársælsson skrifar Skoðun Um þjóð og ríki Gauti Kristmannsson skrifar Skoðun Málfrelsi og mörk þess á vettvangi lýðræðisins Helga Vala Helgadóttir skrifar Skoðun Sjókvíaeldi á Íslandi fjarstýrt með gervigreind frá Noregi Ingólfur Ásgeirsson skrifar Skoðun „Finnst ykkur skrýtið að ég mæti á Austurvöll – Pabba mínum var fórnað á altari niðurskurðar“ Davíð Bergmann skrifar Skoðun Hvers vegna skipta hagsmunir verslanakeðja meira máli en öryggi barna í Ásahverfi Reykjanesbæ? Ólafur Ívar Jónsson skrifar Skoðun Kjarnorkuákvæðið: Neyðarhemill en ekki léttvægt leikfang popúlista Kristinn Karl Brynjarsson skrifar Skoðun Stjórnarandstaðan er vannýtt auðlind Jón Daníelsson skrifar Skoðun Ef Veðurstofan spáði vitlausu veðri í 40 ár, væri það bara í lagi? Björn Ólafsson skrifar Skoðun Hægri sósíalismi Jón Ingi Hákonarson skrifar Skoðun 5 ára vegferð að skóla framtíðarinnar – eða ekki! Björgmundur Örn Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Ójafnvægi í jöfnunarkerfinu Anna Sigríður Guðnadóttir,Halla Karen Kristjánsdóttir,Lovísa Jónsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Það sem ekki má segja um það sem enginn vill sjá Viðar Hreinsson skrifar Skoðun Krónan, Nettó, Hagkaup, Bónus - það er kominn tími á formlega sniðgöngu Helen Ólafsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Löggæslumál og aðstöðuleysi í Búðardal – ákall um viðbragð og aðgerðir Björn Bjarki Þorsteinsson skrifar Skoðun Listin að verða fullkomlega ósammála sjálfri sér á mettíma Þórður Snær Júlíusson skrifar Skoðun Þingmenn auðvaldsins Karl Héðinn Kristjánsson skrifar Skoðun Arðgreiðslur í sjávarútvegi: Staðreyndir gegn fullyrðingum Elliði Vignisson skrifar Skoðun Verðugur bandamaður? Steinar Harðarson skrifar Skoðun Við þurfum nýja sýn á stjórnmál okkar - Mamdani-sýn Hlynur Már Vilhjálmsson skrifar Skoðun Sósíalistaflokkurinn heimilislaus - hvað næst? Trausti Breiðfjörð Magnússon skrifar Skoðun Rán um hábjartan dag Guðbergur Egill Eyjólfsson skrifar Skoðun Af hverju er verðbólga ennþá svona há? Ólafur Margeirsson skrifar Skoðun Sól, sumar og símafriður: 10 ráð varðandi skjánotkun í sumarfríinu Anna Laufey Stefánsdóttir,Kristín Ólöf Grétarsdóttir,Skúli Bragi Geirdal skrifar Skoðun Uppbygging hjúkrunarheimila Jónína Björk Óskarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Jafnrétti grundvallarforsenda friðar og öryggis í heiminum Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Með skynsemina að vopni Anton Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Af hverju er ekki 100 klst. málþóf á Alþingi um alvarlega stöðu barna? Grímur Atlason skrifar Sjá meira
In a recent interview with mbl.is, the secretary of Efling, Ólöf Helga Adolfsdóttir, said that people are willing “to blindly follow” the union’s chairman, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir. I found this statement quite frustrating, because according to my experience, Sólveig Anna is one of the only public figures in Iceland who seems to understand and honestly assess the current struggles of the lowest-paid workers. We can all see for ourselves, if we bother to look, that Sólveig has been consistent in her messaging and steadfast in her service to the union’s members. Most of us do see what Sólveig has accomplished with the union, and indeed, we want to see more of it. This enthusiasm was clear to me through Sólveig’s re-election to the position of Chairman amid a media smear-campaign against her, and while working with her and others on strike actions after the last negotiations failed. Here's what most fail to see: blaming Sólveig for either the perceived faults or the successes of Efling as a union looks past what I believe to be the most important reason she has so much support: She is organizing the union democratically to encourage workers' participation in claiming their own power. The negotiation committee met over twenty times before talks were formally cut and everyone has seen the interest and enthusiasm of the membership in our project at the meetings with the state negotiator and SA. Efling stands united. The game is rigged Here’s what else I see, from my perspective as a U.S. American immigrant here in Iceland since 2016: Most of the time I have been employed in Iceland, I was not paid in accordance with union contracts and standards, nor was I paid according to my actual experience level (I have an open claim against one company from 2019 …still waiting). Wage theft accounts for more total theft than all other forms of stealing combined and yet there is no effective recourse for workers who have been robbed blind by their employers. I see more and more foreign workers arriving to an impossible housing situation while hotels rise on every corner and private rentals turn profits with hardly any regulation to speak of. I see the unending epidemic of young men dying here while the city government discusses construction of a sporting arena. It sure does make me feel right back at home again – not in a good way. Union culture is a strong tool By the way, my home in the U.S. is Asheville, North Carolina. A friend recently established the first union in that city for workers in the vast bar industry. I myself only had the privilege of union membership for the first time in my life when I arrived to Iceland. I see here what a colossal difference strong union culture can make in the struggle for workers to just get a bit of relief from the grind and also have their interests actually represented. We should not take the privilege for granted, because it won’t surprise me if the long game here by those who would be pleased to see less worker power is weakening of the unions to such a degree that they are no longer effective or can be dismantled. Solidarity with striking workers everywhere and every time is the best and most basic way to ensure that doesn’t happen. We are sure of our vision and we know what's best for us I also see the establishment media becoming absolutely obsessed with the Chairman of Efling and going to every inconceivable length to assassinate her character and pretend that she is “bad” for workers and her own union. All these claims (just like the suggestion of Ólöf’s that Efling’s members aren’t intelligent enough to see for ourselves and draw conclusions) are offensive to me as a member of Efling and as someone who supports Sólveig Anna’s leadership, because they attempt to invalidate my own agency and autonomy, my own good judgement and intuition, as a worker and active union member. As if the other trade union leaders are hitting us over the head with their signed contracts shouting, “This is for your own good!” Let's stand together The chairman of Efling has the support of the members, as evidenced by two fair elections. She is simply doing her job and, in my opinion, doing it well. As I said to someone online recently regarding the debate about cost of living in the capital area: Don’t get upset that Efling is demanding more and consider instead putting pressure on your own union to do the same! Efling is not the bad guy for recognizing that workers need and deserve more, especially during years of record profits for the largest and most powerful business interests – and Efling is not the bad guy for organizing and acting accordingly. Finally, I see that all these obstacles, all of the unfounded claims and insults to both Sólveig and the members of Efling, are clear indications that we are doing well, perhaps better than some might have imagined. Áfram Efling! Höfundur er innflytjandi og meðlimur Eflingar.
„Finnst ykkur skrýtið að ég mæti á Austurvöll – Pabba mínum var fórnað á altari niðurskurðar“ Davíð Bergmann Skoðun
Hvers vegna skipta hagsmunir verslanakeðja meira máli en öryggi barna í Ásahverfi Reykjanesbæ? Ólafur Ívar Jónsson Skoðun
Skoðun Heimaþjónusta og velferðartækni: Lykillinn að sjálfbæru heilbrigðiskerfi Auður Guðmundsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun „Finnst ykkur skrýtið að ég mæti á Austurvöll – Pabba mínum var fórnað á altari niðurskurðar“ Davíð Bergmann skrifar
Skoðun Hvers vegna skipta hagsmunir verslanakeðja meira máli en öryggi barna í Ásahverfi Reykjanesbæ? Ólafur Ívar Jónsson skrifar
Skoðun Kjarnorkuákvæðið: Neyðarhemill en ekki léttvægt leikfang popúlista Kristinn Karl Brynjarsson skrifar
Skoðun Ójafnvægi í jöfnunarkerfinu Anna Sigríður Guðnadóttir,Halla Karen Kristjánsdóttir,Lovísa Jónsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Krónan, Nettó, Hagkaup, Bónus - það er kominn tími á formlega sniðgöngu Helen Ólafsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Löggæslumál og aðstöðuleysi í Búðardal – ákall um viðbragð og aðgerðir Björn Bjarki Þorsteinsson skrifar
Skoðun Sól, sumar og símafriður: 10 ráð varðandi skjánotkun í sumarfríinu Anna Laufey Stefánsdóttir,Kristín Ólöf Grétarsdóttir,Skúli Bragi Geirdal skrifar
Skoðun Jafnrétti grundvallarforsenda friðar og öryggis í heiminum Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Af hverju er ekki 100 klst. málþóf á Alþingi um alvarlega stöðu barna? Grímur Atlason skrifar
„Finnst ykkur skrýtið að ég mæti á Austurvöll – Pabba mínum var fórnað á altari niðurskurðar“ Davíð Bergmann Skoðun
Hvers vegna skipta hagsmunir verslanakeðja meira máli en öryggi barna í Ásahverfi Reykjanesbæ? Ólafur Ívar Jónsson Skoðun