Politics and Society | Iceland Monitor | Tue 17 Mar 2015 | 15.27 GMT | Modified 27 May 2015 13.59

SGS strike warning

Björn Snæbjörnsson and Drífa Snædal, Chair and Director of SGS announcing the strike ballot. Photo: Skapti Hallgrímsson

The Icelandic Professional Trade Association (‘Starfsgreinasamband Íslands’ – SGS) has issued a call to strike from 10 April if negotiators do not meet demands for a ISK 300,000 (approx. €2,040) minimum wage. The call has been issued to 10,500 individuals in the food, service, construction, industrial and transport sectors.

Talks between SGS and SA-Business Iceland collapsed last week when it became clear that no progress was being made. SA-Business Iceland had maintained its stance that general workers’ wages should increase by no more than 3-4%, i.e. ISK 6,000-9,500.

Electronic strike ballot

“This is completely unacceptable and SGS negotiators were therefore forced to halt negotiations and begin preparing themselves for action,” reads a press statement from the Association.

SGS’s ultimate aim to see lowest wages reach ISK 300,000 within three years. The strike ballot will be an electronic vote open from 8pm on 23 March to midnight on 30 March. The results should be available on 31 March, just over one week before the strike is to begin.

Food and service industry affected

Strike action is directed solely at SA-Business Iceland and the strike ballot will be open only to members receiving a wage under a collective agreement between SGS and SA-Business Iceland. 42% of those balloted work in the food sector (e.g. fish and meat processing and abattoirs), 32% in the service industry (e.g. tourism and cleaning), the rest coming from the construction, industrial and transport sectors.

SGS has around 50,000 members and is the largest association within the Icelandic Confederation of Labour.