Faroese mediation board extends collective agreement by one week

The Faroese mediation board has extended the expired collective agreement between the Shipowners’ Association and several unions by one week, with the new deadline set for midnight on Friday, according to a report by Kringvarp Føroya.

The agreement, which originally expired on 1 April, had already been temporarily extended until 24 April while negotiations continued. The parties involved are the Shipowners’ Association, the Officers’ and Navigators’ Union, the Engineers’ Union, and the Faroese Fishermen’s Association.

When negotiations stalled, the Shipowners’ Association requested mediation. Mediators Terje Sigurðsson and Fróði Sivertsen have since received proposals from the parties and are working to ease tensions. Sigurðsson declined to comment on Wednesday but had previously confirmed to Kringvarp Føroya that proposals had been submitted.

There had been uncertainty over whether the Fishermen’s Association was part of the mediation. On 15 April, the union stated it was still in negotiations and not yet in mediation. Later, it clarified that while it was not directly involved in the current mediation between the Shipowners’ Association, the Officers’ and Navigators’ Union, and the Engineers’ Union, it remains a party to the broader dispute. Union representative Jan Højgaard declined to comment, referring inquiries to mediator Sigurðsson.