Doctors' strike called off at the last minute

The first round of doctors' strikes, due to start at midnight, was called off late last night after an agreement was reached on the main points of a new collective agreement. However, individual points in the agreement still need to be finalized and negotiations were planned to continue into the night.

"There has been good progress in reaching an agreement today, but this is such an extensive project that we need a little more time. We hope to achieve this as soon as possible. It has not quite reached the point where we can sign it tonight," said Steinunn Þórðardóttir, chairwoman of the Icelandic Medical Association. The issues that remain, according to her, relate to better working hours for doctors. "This is about shift wages and other issues, but that is the main thing we are mainly discussing right now. This is all part of better working hours, but we need more time to come together.”

However, she allows herself to be optimistic that an agreement will be reached on a new collective agreement and that it will be possible to sign it in the coming days. “If you are going to be optimistic, then this looks good, but as always, with these reservations. Nothing is over until it is over.”

Extensive actions

The doctors’ strike action was to cover doctors working at Landspítali National Hospital and at other healthcare institutions throughout the country, as well as health centers run by the state. The strike was planned to last until noon every day until Thursday with minimal staffing, as is the case on weekends and public holidays. For this reason, those who had booked appointments with doctors at Landspítali National Hospital in Fossvogur, for example, had been notified that their appointments would be canceled today.