Icelandic Medical Association delays planned strike amid new voting process for doctors

The Icelandic Medical Association has announced a delay in its planned strike, with a new vote on strike measures set to take place. Steinunn Þórðardóttir, the association’s chair, indicated that significant progress has been made in organizing this vote.

The exact timing of the strike involving approximately 1,000 doctors remains uncertain, as it will encompass all departments of the Landspitalinn (National Hospital) simultaneously if no agreement is reached.

On Thursday, a majority of the association’s members approved the strike, which was initially scheduled to begin at midnight on November 18th at specific work locations. However, a letter from the Ministry of Finance stated that the planned actions and voting process were not compliant with the law. According to the ministry, votes must be conducted within each institution individually, and strikes should not occur on different days for parts of the institutions, but rather for each institution as a whole.

Steinunn noted that the association is moving forward with the new voting process in response to the government’s comments, despite their disagreement with the ministry’s interpretation. The timing of potential strikes is now unclear.

The association will also need to shift its strategy, leading to stronger measures that will encompass all departments of the Landspítali. Previously, the strategy was to adopt a gentler approach by targeting specific departments, but circumstances now dictate that strikes will involve the entire hospital.

No official response had been received from the government’s negotiation committee despite repeated attempts to make contact. Steinunn highlighted that similar strikes by doctors occurred a decade ago under comparable conditions, which went unchallenged by the state. All healthcare services in the capital region will be affected during these strikes, rather than just segments.