Efling weighs leaving Iceland’s labour confederation

Efling’s board has approved a detailed review of whether the union’s members are better served inside or outside Iceland’s labour confederation, ASÍ, union leader Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir writes in a column published by mbl.is.

At ASÍ’s 47th congress last week, Jónsdóttir ran for first vice-president but lost to the chair of VR, who had spoken publicly for months about how little she valued the position. Jónsdóttir did not run for any other office and therefore has no seat on ASÍ’s central board. The same is true of Vilhjálmur Birgisson, chair of SGS and one of the country’s leading advocates for workers, she writes.

Some have dismissed her remarks before the congress as threats intended for domestic consumption, Jónsdóttir says. She says that is a misunderstanding: she made clear that leaving ASÍ was under consideration and that the election for first vice-president would have an influence, but would not determine the outcome on its own.

Efling members do essential work in society, often in physically and mentally demanding manual jobs. A large share are immigrant workers. They receive the lowest wages and face the greatest risk of having their rights violated, Jónsdóttir writes. Their interests do not always align with those of better-paid groups, she says.

Efling seeks influence because it believes workers’ struggles are important to social progress and because it is the country’s largest workers’ union, Jónsdóttir writes. Its members have a right to be heard. If being part of ASÍ does not ensure that and instead creates problems, the union has a duty to reconsider its membership, she says.

Leaving ASÍ would not be a trivial decision and would not be made hastily. Efling’s board will carefully weigh the advantages and disadvantages, including the union’s bargaining position, its relations with the government and its cooperation with other unions. Efling members would make the final decision if and when the board considers the time right.

Jónsdóttir says Efling has shown in recent years that it can stand on its own. The union has gone on strike, won victories and withstood attacks from various quarters. It does not need anyone else’s permission to fight for better living conditions or to decide how to do so, she writes.