A View from the Ranks of Efling Jacob Barker skrifar 24. janúar 2023 14:31 In a recent interview with mbl.is, the secretary of Efling, Ólöf Helga Adolfsdóttir, said that people are willing “to blindly follow” the union’s chairman, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir. I found this statement quite frustrating, because according to my experience, Sólveig Anna is one of the only public figures in Iceland who seems to understand and honestly assess the current struggles of the lowest-paid workers. We can all see for ourselves, if we bother to look, that Sólveig has been consistent in her messaging and steadfast in her service to the union’s members. Most of us do see what Sólveig has accomplished with the union, and indeed, we want to see more of it. This enthusiasm was clear to me through Sólveig’s re-election to the position of Chairman amid a media smear-campaign against her, and while working with her and others on strike actions after the last negotiations failed. Here's what most fail to see: blaming Sólveig for either the perceived faults or the successes of Efling as a union looks past what I believe to be the most important reason she has so much support: She is organizing the union democratically to encourage workers' participation in claiming their own power. The negotiation committee met over twenty times before talks were formally cut and everyone has seen the interest and enthusiasm of the membership in our project at the meetings with the state negotiator and SA. Efling stands united. The game is rigged Here’s what else I see, from my perspective as a U.S. American immigrant here in Iceland since 2016: Most of the time I have been employed in Iceland, I was not paid in accordance with union contracts and standards, nor was I paid according to my actual experience level (I have an open claim against one company from 2019 …still waiting). Wage theft accounts for more total theft than all other forms of stealing combined and yet there is no effective recourse for workers who have been robbed blind by their employers. I see more and more foreign workers arriving to an impossible housing situation while hotels rise on every corner and private rentals turn profits with hardly any regulation to speak of. I see the unending epidemic of young men dying here while the city government discusses construction of a sporting arena. It sure does make me feel right back at home again – not in a good way. Union culture is a strong tool By the way, my home in the U.S. is Asheville, North Carolina. A friend recently established the first union in that city for workers in the vast bar industry. I myself only had the privilege of union membership for the first time in my life when I arrived to Iceland. I see here what a colossal difference strong union culture can make in the struggle for workers to just get a bit of relief from the grind and also have their interests actually represented. We should not take the privilege for granted, because it won’t surprise me if the long game here by those who would be pleased to see less worker power is weakening of the unions to such a degree that they are no longer effective or can be dismantled. Solidarity with striking workers everywhere and every time is the best and most basic way to ensure that doesn’t happen. We are sure of our vision and we know what's best for us I also see the establishment media becoming absolutely obsessed with the Chairman of Efling and going to every inconceivable length to assassinate her character and pretend that she is “bad” for workers and her own union. All these claims (just like the suggestion of Ólöf’s that Efling’s members aren’t intelligent enough to see for ourselves and draw conclusions) are offensive to me as a member of Efling and as someone who supports Sólveig Anna’s leadership, because they attempt to invalidate my own agency and autonomy, my own good judgement and intuition, as a worker and active union member. As if the other trade union leaders are hitting us over the head with their signed contracts shouting, “This is for your own good!” Let's stand together The chairman of Efling has the support of the members, as evidenced by two fair elections. She is simply doing her job and, in my opinion, doing it well. As I said to someone online recently regarding the debate about cost of living in the capital area: Don’t get upset that Efling is demanding more and consider instead putting pressure on your own union to do the same! Efling is not the bad guy for recognizing that workers need and deserve more, especially during years of record profits for the largest and most powerful business interests – and Efling is not the bad guy for organizing and acting accordingly. Finally, I see that all these obstacles, all of the unfounded claims and insults to both Sólveig and the members of Efling, are clear indications that we are doing well, perhaps better than some might have imagined. Áfram Efling! Höfundur er innflytjandi og meðlimur Eflingar. Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein Ólga innan Eflingar Stéttarfélög Kjaramál Kjaraviðræður 2022-23 Mest lesið Snorri Másson er ekki vandinn – hann er viðvörun Helen Ólafsdóttir Skoðun Að vera séður og heyrður getur bjargað lífi – Gulur september minnir okkur á að hlúa að hjartanu Kristín Magdalena Ágústsdóttir Skoðun Drúsar og hörmungarnar í Suwayda Armando Garcia Skoðun Okkar eigin Don Kíkóti Kjartan Jónsson Skoðun Laugarnestangi - til allrar framtíðar Líf Magneudóttir Skoðun Menntamorð – um gjöreyðingu menntakerfisins á Gaza sem liður í allsherjar þjóðarmorði Ísrael á Palestínumönnum Kristján Þór Sigurðsson Skoðun 90 milljarða vannýtt útflutningstækifæri Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson Skoðun Rangfærslur um atburðina á Gaza Egill Þ. Einarsson Skoðun Hvað vil ég? Auður Kolbrá Birgisdóttir Skoðun Öryggi geðheilbrigðis Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Laugarnestangi - til allrar framtíðar Líf Magneudóttir skrifar Skoðun Að vera séður og heyrður getur bjargað lífi – Gulur september minnir okkur á að hlúa að hjartanu Kristín Magdalena Ágústsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Rangfærslur um atburðina á Gaza Egill Þ. Einarsson skrifar Skoðun Öryggi geðheilbrigðis Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir skrifar Skoðun Mjóddin og pólitík pírata Helgi Áss Grétarsson skrifar Skoðun Okkar eigin Don Kíkóti Kjartan Jónsson skrifar Skoðun Sýnum í verki að okkur er ekki sama Anna Sigga Jökuls Ragnheiðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Snorri Másson er ekki vandinn – hann er viðvörun Helen Ólafsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Drúsar og hörmungarnar í Suwayda Armando Garcia skrifar Skoðun Hjarta samfélagsins í Þorlákshöfn slær við höfnina Grétar Ingi Erlendsson skrifar Skoðun Marserum fyrir jafnrétti í íþróttum Willum Þór Þórsson skrifar Skoðun Tímamóta umbætur í nýju kerfi almannatrygginga Huld Magnúsdóttir,Sigríður Dóra Magnúsdóttir,Unnur Sverrisdóttir,Vigdís Jónsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Öflugt atvinnulíf í Hafnarfirði Valdimar Víðisson skrifar Skoðun Persónudýrkun vinstrisins Trausti Breiðfjörð Magnússon skrifar Skoðun Menntamorð – um gjöreyðingu menntakerfisins á Gaza sem liður í allsherjar þjóðarmorði Ísrael á Palestínumönnum Kristján Þór Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun Reykjavík - barnvæn höfuðborg? Einar Þorsteinsson,Magnea Gná Jóhannsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Magnús og hálfsannleikurinn Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Það sem gerist þegar formúlur og fordómar hafa of mikil áhrif Matthildur Björnsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Látum verkin tala fyrir börnin á Gaza Gunnar Axel Axelsson skrifar Skoðun 90 milljarða vannýtt útflutningstækifæri Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson skrifar Skoðun Tvær sögur Egill Þ. Einarsson skrifar Skoðun Stærsta kjarabót öryrkja í áratugi Ingjibjörg Isaksen skrifar Skoðun Að bjarga þjóð Jón Baldvin Hannibalsson skrifar Skoðun Háskóli Íslands. Opinn og alþjóðlegur? Styrmir Hallsson,Abdullah Arif skrifar Skoðun Nýtt örorkulífeyriskerfi Inga Sæland skrifar Skoðun Það er heldur betur vitlaust gefið á Íslandi Jónas Yngvi Ásgrímsson skrifar Skoðun Að bera harm sinn í hljóði Gunnhildur Ólafsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Velferð sem virkar Guðrún Hafsteinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Gleðileg ný fiskveiðiáramót …von eða ótti? Arnar Laxdal skrifar Skoðun „Hristir í stoðum“ RÚV? Hermann Stefánsson skrifar Sjá meira
In a recent interview with mbl.is, the secretary of Efling, Ólöf Helga Adolfsdóttir, said that people are willing “to blindly follow” the union’s chairman, Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir. I found this statement quite frustrating, because according to my experience, Sólveig Anna is one of the only public figures in Iceland who seems to understand and honestly assess the current struggles of the lowest-paid workers. We can all see for ourselves, if we bother to look, that Sólveig has been consistent in her messaging and steadfast in her service to the union’s members. Most of us do see what Sólveig has accomplished with the union, and indeed, we want to see more of it. This enthusiasm was clear to me through Sólveig’s re-election to the position of Chairman amid a media smear-campaign against her, and while working with her and others on strike actions after the last negotiations failed. Here's what most fail to see: blaming Sólveig for either the perceived faults or the successes of Efling as a union looks past what I believe to be the most important reason she has so much support: She is organizing the union democratically to encourage workers' participation in claiming their own power. The negotiation committee met over twenty times before talks were formally cut and everyone has seen the interest and enthusiasm of the membership in our project at the meetings with the state negotiator and SA. Efling stands united. The game is rigged Here’s what else I see, from my perspective as a U.S. American immigrant here in Iceland since 2016: Most of the time I have been employed in Iceland, I was not paid in accordance with union contracts and standards, nor was I paid according to my actual experience level (I have an open claim against one company from 2019 …still waiting). Wage theft accounts for more total theft than all other forms of stealing combined and yet there is no effective recourse for workers who have been robbed blind by their employers. I see more and more foreign workers arriving to an impossible housing situation while hotels rise on every corner and private rentals turn profits with hardly any regulation to speak of. I see the unending epidemic of young men dying here while the city government discusses construction of a sporting arena. It sure does make me feel right back at home again – not in a good way. Union culture is a strong tool By the way, my home in the U.S. is Asheville, North Carolina. A friend recently established the first union in that city for workers in the vast bar industry. I myself only had the privilege of union membership for the first time in my life when I arrived to Iceland. I see here what a colossal difference strong union culture can make in the struggle for workers to just get a bit of relief from the grind and also have their interests actually represented. We should not take the privilege for granted, because it won’t surprise me if the long game here by those who would be pleased to see less worker power is weakening of the unions to such a degree that they are no longer effective or can be dismantled. Solidarity with striking workers everywhere and every time is the best and most basic way to ensure that doesn’t happen. We are sure of our vision and we know what's best for us I also see the establishment media becoming absolutely obsessed with the Chairman of Efling and going to every inconceivable length to assassinate her character and pretend that she is “bad” for workers and her own union. All these claims (just like the suggestion of Ólöf’s that Efling’s members aren’t intelligent enough to see for ourselves and draw conclusions) are offensive to me as a member of Efling and as someone who supports Sólveig Anna’s leadership, because they attempt to invalidate my own agency and autonomy, my own good judgement and intuition, as a worker and active union member. As if the other trade union leaders are hitting us over the head with their signed contracts shouting, “This is for your own good!” Let's stand together The chairman of Efling has the support of the members, as evidenced by two fair elections. She is simply doing her job and, in my opinion, doing it well. As I said to someone online recently regarding the debate about cost of living in the capital area: Don’t get upset that Efling is demanding more and consider instead putting pressure on your own union to do the same! Efling is not the bad guy for recognizing that workers need and deserve more, especially during years of record profits for the largest and most powerful business interests – and Efling is not the bad guy for organizing and acting accordingly. Finally, I see that all these obstacles, all of the unfounded claims and insults to both Sólveig and the members of Efling, are clear indications that we are doing well, perhaps better than some might have imagined. Áfram Efling! Höfundur er innflytjandi og meðlimur Eflingar.
Að vera séður og heyrður getur bjargað lífi – Gulur september minnir okkur á að hlúa að hjartanu Kristín Magdalena Ágústsdóttir Skoðun
Menntamorð – um gjöreyðingu menntakerfisins á Gaza sem liður í allsherjar þjóðarmorði Ísrael á Palestínumönnum Kristján Þór Sigurðsson Skoðun
Skoðun Að vera séður og heyrður getur bjargað lífi – Gulur september minnir okkur á að hlúa að hjartanu Kristín Magdalena Ágústsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Tímamóta umbætur í nýju kerfi almannatrygginga Huld Magnúsdóttir,Sigríður Dóra Magnúsdóttir,Unnur Sverrisdóttir,Vigdís Jónsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Menntamorð – um gjöreyðingu menntakerfisins á Gaza sem liður í allsherjar þjóðarmorði Ísrael á Palestínumönnum Kristján Þór Sigurðsson skrifar
Skoðun Það sem gerist þegar formúlur og fordómar hafa of mikil áhrif Matthildur Björnsdóttir skrifar
Að vera séður og heyrður getur bjargað lífi – Gulur september minnir okkur á að hlúa að hjartanu Kristín Magdalena Ágústsdóttir Skoðun
Menntamorð – um gjöreyðingu menntakerfisins á Gaza sem liður í allsherjar þjóðarmorði Ísrael á Palestínumönnum Kristján Þór Sigurðsson Skoðun