English video and information material
An introduction on unions
Trade unions play a vital role in the employment market in Iceland, with 85 percent of the labor force being members of a union.
Unions do not only take part in the collective bargaining, but also provide support, legal advice, and race awareness in society about the situation and salary of workers. There are also other benefits of being a union member, such as scholarships, medical support, grants for purchase of glasses, holiday houses accommodation and more (differs between unions).
Many unions, depending on your employment or education. The biggest unions in Iceland are, VR and Efling.
The role of the unions on the labor market
Their main roles on the labor market are:
- Decision making on labor rights of workers.
- Negations with employers
- Collective bargaining
- Support, legal advice and awareness
Services to union members
The unions provide a vast service to union members. Employees can in most cases go to the union and seek help on all issues regarding the employment market.
They provide services or information on:
- Rights
- Legal or legal proceedings
- Legal assistance
- Administrative assistance
- Training
- Social action and funds
Available funds and assistance differ between unions, but members can always seek help from their services regarding above mentioned topics or visit their website. Most of them however provide help in funding for education and health issues.
Collective bargaining and collective agreements.
Collective bargaining is when representatives from the unions and the employers negotiate salary, working hours, holiday, bonuses etc.
Different agreements are made depending on the unions involved and this is why it is important that workers know what unions they are a part of.
However, even members who are not in a union still fall under the collective agreements made in the workplace, and any contracts made that do not fall under the agreements are not valid.
About the unions in the partner countries.
The biggest unions in Iceland are Efling and VR. Union members do not have to have a specific job or education to be members of them.
For more information on the unions, you can visit their website or contact them by phone. On their website you can look at minimum rights according to the collective bargaining and the funds you have access to.
VR is the biggest union in Iceland, on their site you can find all the information you should need about your rights, calculator on wages, grants, funds and contact information.
Efling has the highest percentage of migrant workers of the Unions in Iceland and have been involved in workplace inspection. You can look at their information on their page in Icelandic, English and Polish. There you will find all the information on working rights and collective agreements.
Workplace representation
In Iceland, every workplace should elect a confidant, that should serve as the connection between the unions and the workplaces.
Every workplace with 5 or more employees must have at least one confidant, and if employees are more than 50 the minimum is 2.
The confidant job is to be a representative of the employees and speak on their behalf regarding issues within the workplace. This role however differs depending on the unions he is affiliated to.
The most common roles are.
- To monitor if the employer is violating the collective agreement made by the union and the employers, and to step up and react if the employer is violating the rights of workers.
- Be aware and have knowledge of the collective agreements and issues that would need changes/modifications and be in contact with the union with ideas for improving agreements.
- Be the representative of the other employees when it comes to communication with the employer and bring up any issues or problems with them.
- Introduce the activities of the trade unions to their colleagues.
- Welcoming new employees to the workplace, informing them of their rights, the trade unions roles and how they can assist them.
Other important organizations that migrant workers can reach for help or information.
Directorate of Labor
The Directorate of Labor is responsible for various issues on the labor market. The agency handles the unemployment benefit payments and service for jobseekers. The agency also operates the Maternity/Paternity leave fund and the Wage Guarantee Fund, in addition to issuing work permits to nationals of countries outside the EEA. The agency also supervises the activities of temporary staffing and foreign services companies that send employees in Iceland temporarily. The Directorate of Labor is a member of the EURES European Employment Services, a partnership of public employment services in the European Economic Area, a partnership of public employment services in the European Economic Area. The role of EURES is to promote labor mobility between countries in the EEA.
The agency’s services for jobseekers of foreign origin are diverse and information on the resources are available on their website. These include language courses, scholarships, and internships. The agency’s website also contains a large amount of information about the services that the agency offers to different groups, job search tips, information about rights and obligations of jobseekers as well as an overview of the jobs advertised.
Information in Icelandic, English and Polish can be found on the institute’s website
The Icelandic Conformation of Labor (ASÍ)
ASÍ consist of 47 trade unions within various industries, and play a vital role in the employment market, with 2/3 of labor union affiliated.
ASÍ, the trade unions affiliated, and Administration of Occupation Safety and Health have been working together on inspection of the workplaces, often associated with illegal workforce, such as migrant workers without the right permits. ASÍ has also been pressuring the government for more regulation, stronger laws against illegal employment and exploitations of foreign workers in Iceland.
On their website you can access information on rights on the labor market, collective agreements, research and more on the employment market.
Information in Icelandic, English and Polish can be found on their website.