“A very difficult dispute”
The teachers', state's, and local government's bargaining committees met with the state mediator at 9 am this morning. mbl.is/Eggert Jóhannesson
State mediator Ástráður Haraldsson says that there is still a long way to go in the wage dispute between teachers and the state, but the parties to the dispute met at the State Conciliation and Mediation Office (SCMO) at 9 am this morning.
The teachers' strike action has been ongoing since October 29. Teachers in ten schools are on strike, and on December 10, teachers in ten kindergartens will join the group of those on strike, and on January 6, teachers from four elementary schools will join.
“There is a very long way between the parties and it must be said at this time that this is a very difficult dispute,” Haraldsson told mbl.is before the negotiation meeting began at the state mediator's premises.
Haraldsson says that the negotiation parties are still trying to develop the path that was forged last weekend, but yesterday there were working meetings all day like the days before.
"I'm hoping we can get the talks moving faster, and that's the task of the day. It's just a matter of moving forward," Haraldsson concludes.
