Faroese mediator calls new talks after health and municipal workers reject wage offers

The Faroese Conciliation Office has called for renewed negotiations with the Health Workers’ Union and the Municipal Employers’ Association after both sides rejected earlier wage proposals, mediator Terje Sigurðsson confirmed Tuesday.

The two parties left Tuesday’s meeting to conduct internal assessments, with talks set to resume Thursday. Last week, both the health workers’ union and municipal employers rejected separate mediation proposals, citing insufficient pay increases and excessive costs, respectively.

Mary Antonsdóttir, chair of the Faroese Health Workers’ Union, told public broadcaster KVF last week that while she remained open to dialogue, revisiting the rejected offers would serve no purpose. She noted that the proposed 3.87% wage increase for the first year—aligned with a broader public-sector agreement—was inadequate.

Per Martin Gregersen, chair of the Municipal Employers’ Association, said little had changed since negotiations began, but the mediator’s decision to reconvene suggested progress behind the scenes. “Now that the mediator has called us back, he must have received input from both sides that makes renewed mediation worthwhile,” Gregersen told KVF.