Mediation to begin this week in Faroese fishing industry labour dispute

The Faroese mediation office will start separate talks this week with the fishermen’s union and the shipowners’ association in an attempt to resolve the ongoing labour dispute, national broadcaster Kringvarp Føroya reports.

The shipowners’ association has formally requested mediation after negotiations between the Faroese Fishermen’s Union (Føroya Fiskimannafelag) and the Faroese Shipowners’ Association (Føroya Reiðarafelag) reached an impasse.

Mediator Terje Sigurðsson will meet with both parties individually in the coming days. The union has previously stated that its willingness to engage in mediation does not mean it is backing down from its position.

“That progress has been made in negotiations between the fishermen’s union and the Faroese Shipowners’ Association does not mean that the Faroese Fishermen’s Union is prepared to compromise,” the union’s chairperson said in a statement. “It means we are not in agreement at this stage.”

Both sides have agreed to extend the current collective bargaining agreement until midnight on Friday, April 24, following a request from the mediation office. The union confirmed it had received a commitment from the mediator to maintain the existing terms until that deadline.

Jan Højgaard, representing the fishermen’s union, stated: “We have received assurances from the mediation office that the current agreement will remain in force until April 24.”