“These Kinds of Things Just Don’t Happen in Iceland” Melissa Williams skrifar 9. febrúar 2023 16:31 A quick look at the culture of exploitation of immigrants. When looking to visit Iceland, tourists from far and wide often look to luxury hotel chains for accommodations. When looking to move to Iceland, immigrants and refugees often look to luxury hotel chains for work. Part of one of the largest industries in the country, these hotels and their owners gross millions of kronur daily. Luxury hotel chains are also one of the top employers of immigrant and refugee workers, particularly in their cleaning departments. Unfortunately, the wages for these workers are often low; day-time workers with a basic salary of a little over 370,000iskmonthly, some of the lowest wages in the country; for reference, the average monthly salary in Iceland hovers around 750,000-800,000isk. The hours are also often long, and the working conditions difficult, sometimes with one cleaner for every 50 rooms. As immigrants or tourists from less hospitable countries, when we express anxiety about certain scenarios we often hear locals say the sentiment, “these kinds of things just don’t happen in Iceland.” Which, for the most part is true and a fact for which I am thankful. However, as globalization continues and businesses here become less personal (the workforce less made up of your brother-in-law and his cousin, and more of these unknown people from unknown lands) the sentiment becomes less and less true. This has exacerbated the culture of exploitation and abuse in many of the sectors that hire these ‘unknown people’. Of course, these workers have unions, as is their right under Icelandic law (many of these workers are under Efling, whose membership is around 50% immigrants). However, when these workers showed support for their union’s actions to increase their pay, management and ownership began threatening and berating their lowest-waged earners in clear retaliation. “But these kinds of things just don’t happen in Iceland”—this is an argument that only hurts the workers. What is needed now is awareness and solidarity, not complacency. Not all is lost, however. Workers and union leaders have not taken on a defeatist attitude. They are doing everything in their power to create a better Iceland for the hotel workers, and other low-wages workers. Tourists can help, of course, by being aware of the vast exploitation and abuse suffered by these workers. They can help by doing research into the lodgings they choose, and by letting hotel management and ownership know they stand in solidarity with the workers. The author is a member of Efling and part of the negotiation committee. Viltu birta grein á Vísi? Sendu okkur póst. Senda grein Kjaraviðræður 2022-23 Mest lesið Verri framkoma en hjá Trump Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson Skoðun Ísrael – brostnir draumar og lygar Ingibjörg Þóra Haraldsdóttir Skoðun Ætla þau að halda áfram að grafa sína eigin gröf? Kolbrún Áslaugar Baldursdóttir Skoðun Þú ert búin að eyðileggja líf mitt!!! Sandra Ósk Jóhannsdóttir Skoðun Landið talar Davíð Arnar Oddgeirsson Skoðun Þegar hið smáa verður risastórt Sigurjón Þórðarson Skoðun Halldór 26.07.2025 Halldór Tekur sér stöðu með Evrópusambandinu Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson Skoðun Ein af hverjum fjórum Silja Höllu Egilsdóttir Skoðun Vertu drusla! Álfhildur Leifsdóttir,Hólmfríður Jennýjar Árnadóttir Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Verri framkoma en hjá Trump Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Landið talar Davíð Arnar Oddgeirsson skrifar Skoðun Ætla þau að halda áfram að grafa sína eigin gröf? Kolbrún Áslaugar Baldursdóttir skrifar Skoðun Ísrael – brostnir draumar og lygar Ingibjörg Þóra Haraldsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Ein af hverjum fjórum Silja Höllu Egilsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Vertu drusla! Álfhildur Leifsdóttir,Hólmfríður Jennýjar Árnadóttir skrifar Skoðun Þegar hið smáa verður risastórt Sigurjón Þórðarson skrifar Skoðun Þú ert búin að eyðileggja líf mitt!!! Sandra Ósk Jóhannsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Tekur sér stöðu með Evrópusambandinu Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Feluleikur ríkisstjórnarinnar? 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A quick look at the culture of exploitation of immigrants. When looking to visit Iceland, tourists from far and wide often look to luxury hotel chains for accommodations. When looking to move to Iceland, immigrants and refugees often look to luxury hotel chains for work. Part of one of the largest industries in the country, these hotels and their owners gross millions of kronur daily. Luxury hotel chains are also one of the top employers of immigrant and refugee workers, particularly in their cleaning departments. Unfortunately, the wages for these workers are often low; day-time workers with a basic salary of a little over 370,000iskmonthly, some of the lowest wages in the country; for reference, the average monthly salary in Iceland hovers around 750,000-800,000isk. The hours are also often long, and the working conditions difficult, sometimes with one cleaner for every 50 rooms. As immigrants or tourists from less hospitable countries, when we express anxiety about certain scenarios we often hear locals say the sentiment, “these kinds of things just don’t happen in Iceland.” Which, for the most part is true and a fact for which I am thankful. However, as globalization continues and businesses here become less personal (the workforce less made up of your brother-in-law and his cousin, and more of these unknown people from unknown lands) the sentiment becomes less and less true. This has exacerbated the culture of exploitation and abuse in many of the sectors that hire these ‘unknown people’. Of course, these workers have unions, as is their right under Icelandic law (many of these workers are under Efling, whose membership is around 50% immigrants). However, when these workers showed support for their union’s actions to increase their pay, management and ownership began threatening and berating their lowest-waged earners in clear retaliation. “But these kinds of things just don’t happen in Iceland”—this is an argument that only hurts the workers. What is needed now is awareness and solidarity, not complacency. Not all is lost, however. Workers and union leaders have not taken on a defeatist attitude. They are doing everything in their power to create a better Iceland for the hotel workers, and other low-wages workers. Tourists can help, of course, by being aware of the vast exploitation and abuse suffered by these workers. They can help by doing research into the lodgings they choose, and by letting hotel management and ownership know they stand in solidarity with the workers. The author is a member of Efling and part of the negotiation committee.
Skoðun Yfirlýsing frá Kára Stefánssyni um hrakfarir hans í samskiptum við íhaldssaman blaðamann Kári Stefánsson skrifar
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Skoðun Sameiginleg yfirlýsing 28 ríkja um málefni Palestínu, hvers virði er hún? Einar Ólafsson skrifar
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