Icelandic union files legal action against tourism company over alleged union busting

A labor union in Iceland has taken legal action against a tourism company after a Spanish employee claimed he was threatened with job loss for wanting to join the union. This case marks the first such action for the South Iceland Union, which is addressing allegations of “union busting.” The Spanish worker, identified as Bernat Pujol Alemany, reported that the company’s owner warned him via Slack in January that he would be fired if he pursued union membership.

The union is pursuing the case against the company, Hvalvörðugilslæk, which operates Hotel Drangshlíð in Öræfi. This incident has highlighted concerns regarding the treatment of foreign workers in Iceland, as expressed by Guðrún Elín Pálsdóttir, the union’s chairperson. She emphasized that the case illustrates a troubling pattern of manipulation and control over workers, stating, “It should not work like this.”

In addition, another union, VR, has filed two cases against a related business owned by the same individual, Ingólfur Ragnar Axelsson, called Tröllaferðir, which also operates in the tourism sector. The VR chairperson, Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, noted that they have recently come to understand the extent of rights violations in this industry, particularly against certain companies that appear to systematically suppress worker rights.

Given the serious nature of these claims and the potential implications for labor practices in Iceland’s tourism sector, the outcome of these legal proceedings will be closely monitored as they unfold.