Minister urges Icelandair and engineers to settle dispute

Þorgerður Katrín Gunnarsdóttir has urged Icelandair and the Icelandic Flight Engineers Association to reach an agreement as soon as possible, calling their collective bargaining dispute sensitive and highly important to Icelandic society and national interests, mbl.is reports.

The parties last met on Friday without reaching an agreement, and a strike is now expected to begin on September 23. State mediator Ástráður Haraldsson had not called another meeting when mbl.is spoke to him on Saturday. He said a meeting would be arranged if there was reason to do so.

We have followed this matter very closely, said Þorgerður Katrín. The dispute is important for Icelandic society, Icelandic interests and the Icelandic economy, but she said she did not want to comment further at this stage.

She said the parties were continuing talks, including through the state mediator, and urged them to take responsibility because the dispute affected the whole society. She also declined to comment on possible government intervention.

Icelandair representatives could not be reached for comment during the preparation of the article. Óskar Einarsson, chairman of the Icelandic Flight Engineers Association, also declined to comment.