Massive civil servant strike kicks in
Talks yesterday did not succeed in averting the planned strike. Photo: Golli
As of midnight last night, over 3,500 civil servants in 158 State agencies and institutions have downed tools in coordinated strike action over pay.
The strike has been called by the Icelandic Union of Public Servants (SFR) and the Icelandic Union of Nursing Assistants (SLFI).
Staff are set to strike indefinitely at the National University Hospital of Iceland (Landspítali), the Directorate of Customs (Tollstjóri), the Directorate of Internal Revenue (RSK), and prefectural authorities (‘sýslumannsembætti’).
At other agencies and institutions, there will be a series of two-day strikes over a four-week period.
Hardest hit by the industrial action is Landspítali, where 1,600 staff – roughly a third of the entire workforce – has walked out.
Also affected are health clinics, theatre productions, university tuition, passport control, and sales of alcohol, to name just a few examples.
A full list of the 158 State agencies and institutions involved in the current strikes (official names in Icelandic) is given below. The actual extent of the strike varies from place to place.
Related article:
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State agencies affected by strike beginning 15/10/2015 |
