“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 Þegar Dagur lét mig hrasa á gangstéttarhellu Björn Teitsson Skoðun Samtökin 78 verðlauna sögufölsun Böðvar Björnsson Skoðun Hroki og hleypidómar - syngur Jónas Sen? Bjarnheiður Hallsdóttir Skoðun Varað við embætti sérstaks saksóknara Gestur Jónsson Skoðun Er vínandinn orðinn hinn sanni andi íþrótta? Þráinn Farestveit Skoðun Drengir á jaðrinum Margrét Kristín Sigurðardóttir Skoðun Heilsuspillandi minnisleysi í boði Sjálfstæðisflokksins Sigríður Svanborgardóttir Skoðun Út af sporinu en ekki týnd að eilífu María Helena Mazul Skoðun Ætlar Ísland að fara sömu leið og Evrópa í útlendingamálum? Kári Allansson Skoðun Menntun sem mannréttindi – ekki forréttindi París Anna Bergmann,Sigurður Kári Harðarson Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Framtíðin fær húsnæði Ingunn Gunnarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Börnin sem deyja á Gaza Elín Pjetursdóttir skrifar Skoðun Brýr, sýkingar og börn Jón Pétur Zimsen skrifar Skoðun Konum í afplánun fjölgar: Með flókin áföll á bakinu Tinna Eyberg Örlygsdóttir,Sigríður Ella Jónsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hvað er lýðskóli eiginlega? Margrét Gauja Magnúsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Búum til pláss fyrir framtíðina Birna Þórarinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hættuleg ofnotkun svefnlyfja á Íslandi Drífa Sigfúsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Kveikjum neistann um allt land Kolbrún Áslaugar Baldursdóttir skrifar Skoðun Ætlar Ísland að fara sömu leið og Evrópa í útlendingamálum? Kári Allansson skrifar Skoðun Samtökin 78 verðlauna sögufölsun Böðvar Björnsson skrifar Skoðun Afstaða – á vaktinni í 20 ár Arndís Vilhjálmsdóttir,Guðbjörg Sveinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Menntun sem mannréttindi – ekki forréttindi París Anna Bergmann,Sigurður Kári Harðarson skrifar Skoðun Varað við embætti sérstaks saksóknara Gestur Jónsson skrifar Skoðun Út af sporinu en ekki týnd að eilífu María Helena Mazul skrifar Skoðun Meira að segja formaður Viðreisnar Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Gaza sveltur til dauða - Tími bréfaskrifta er löngu liðinn Magnús Magnússon,Hjálmtýr Heiðdal skrifar Skoðun Steypuklumpablætið í borginni Ragnhildur Alda María Vilhjálmsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Kærum og beitum Ísrael viðskiptabanni! Pétur Heimisson skrifar Skoðun Blæðandi vegir Sigþór Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun Fái einstaklingar sem eru hættulegir sjálfum sér ekki viðeigandi búsetuúrræði blasir við mikill harmleikur Elínborg Björnsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hroki og hleypidómar - syngur Jónas Sen? Bjarnheiður Hallsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Sveitarfélög gegna lykilhlutverki í vistvænni mannvirkjagerð Guðrún Lilja Kristinsdóttir,Bergþóra Góa Kvaran skrifar Skoðun „Nýtt veiðigjald: sátt byggð á hagkvæmni“ Svanur Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Opinber áskorun til prófessorsins Brynjar Karl Sigurðsson skrifar Skoðun Nærvera Héðinn Unnsteinsson skrifar Skoðun Þegar Dagur lét mig hrasa á gangstéttarhellu Björn Teitsson skrifar Skoðun Þessi jafnlaunavottun... Sunna Arnardottir skrifar Skoðun Heilsuspillandi minnisleysi í boði Sjálfstæðisflokksins Sigríður Svanborgardóttir skrifar Skoðun #BLESSMETA – fyrsta grein Guðrún Hrefna Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Dáleiðsla er ímyndun ein Hrefna Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Sjá meira
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 Konum í afplánun fjölgar: Með flókin áföll á bakinu Tinna Eyberg Örlygsdóttir,Sigríður Ella Jónsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Menntun sem mannréttindi – ekki forréttindi París Anna Bergmann,Sigurður Kári Harðarson skrifar
Skoðun Gaza sveltur til dauða - Tími bréfaskrifta er löngu liðinn Magnús Magnússon,Hjálmtýr Heiðdal skrifar
Skoðun Fái einstaklingar sem eru hættulegir sjálfum sér ekki viðeigandi búsetuúrræði blasir við mikill harmleikur Elínborg Björnsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Sveitarfélög gegna lykilhlutverki í vistvænni mannvirkjagerð Guðrún Lilja Kristinsdóttir,Bergþóra Góa Kvaran skrifar