Extensive union strikes today
36 swimming pools are closed all over the country today due to the BSRB strikes. Morgunblaðið/Sigurður Bogi
The meeting between the BSRB and the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities in Karphúsið, which began at 13 pm yesterday, ended at the second hour last night without a result.
With no agreement in place, broad strike action by the BSRB will begin today in 29 municipalities. A total of 2,500 people will be involved in the strikes.
The strikes include personnel in kindergartens, swimming pools, sports facilities, service centers, municipal offices, offices, maintenance buildings and harbors.
The BSRB website says the strikes affect at least 150 facilities nationwide. “The strikes are not taken lightly but to enforce demands against the local authorities of the country who refuse to correct wage inequality against their staff,” it also states.
Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir the chair of the union BSRB. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
“The responsibility of all of us is great and the BSRB has made numerous proposals to reach a settlement. While something has been achieved during the negotiating sessions of the last few days, the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities still refuses to meet our rightful demand for the same wages for the same jobs. It is extremely disappointing that we have not reached an agreement and it is clear that a great deal of weight has been shifted in our actions from tomorrow until the resolution is reached,” Sonja Ýr Þorbergsdóttir the chair of the union BSRB is quoted as is reported in the BSRB’s announcement.
