Reykjavík reverses plan to cut five team leader jobs

Reykjavík City’s Welfare Department has withdrawn plans to eliminate five team leader positions at residential units for people with disabilities, mbl.is reports. The department will still pursue savings of 64 million Icelandic krónur, using changes to shift schedules and staffing instead.

The original plan would have removed one team leader position at each of five units: Stjörnugróf 11, Árland 10, Barðastaðir 35, Þorláksgeisli and Brekknaás 6. It also proposed adding half a full-time position in direct services at each unit.

The managers of the units warned that the plan could affect daily operations, service quality and residents’ welfare. They proposed alternative ways to achieve comparable savings, according to a response from Rannveig Einarsdóttir, director of the Welfare Department, to a question from a Reykjavík City Council representative. The response, dated November 9, was presented to the council on November 12.

On October 5, the department agreed to drop the planned cuts and asked the unit managers to develop an alternative with finance specialists and department heads. Their proposals were approved on November 3, formally reversing the decision.

The effects of the new measures on services and safety will be monitored. Managers will meet monthly, and the measures will be formally assessed every three months in 2027. The arrangement will be reviewed after six months. The assessment will consider staffing in direct services, the safety of residents and staff, the frequency and severity of incidents, service quality and progress towards the financial target. If services or safety are significantly affected, the arrangement will be reconsidered.

The response said the original decision had been considered an internal operational matter within the approved budget, and therefore not one requiring separate approval by the city council or its welfare committee.

Samfylkingin representatives welcomed the reversal but voiced concern about the scale of the savings and said they must not harm people in the most vulnerable situations. Representatives of the governing coalition said the outcome showed the importance of consulting staff. A Socialist Party representative also welcomed the reversal, while criticising the preparation of the measures and calling for close monitoring of their effects.