Leaders express dissatisfaction with salary negotiations in Iceland

Leaders of the Icelandic Association of Natural Scientists and the Icelandic Society of Engineers have expressed deep dissatisfaction with the current salary negotiations, opposing the fixed monetary increases that have been proposed. “We are being offered a reduction in purchasing power,” stated the Association’s chair, Marianna Helgadottir.

Most labor unions representing university-educated professionals are still negotiating their pay agreements, with only two out of 24 unions under the Confederation of Professional Associations (BHM) having finalized any deals. Other groups, including nurses, doctors, and engineers, also face unresolved contracts, with only doctors having referred their disputes to the National Mediator. “Patience is wearing thin,” remarked the chair of the Icelandic Medical Association in recent news.

Engineers feel that the contract negotiations for educated professionals have become increasingly lopsided. “The line has been drawn in all contracts nationally as of March. When salary increases are fixed in this way, it becomes evident that the gap between skilled and unskilled workers is continuously narrowing,” commented Arni B. Bjornsson, the chair of the Association of Engineers.

Marianna Helgadottir echoed these sentiments, stating, “Some external parties seem to have seized control of the negotiating mandate. Dialogue is non-existent. There is a predetermined agreement awaiting our signatures.”

A general members’ meeting addressing the status of salary negotiations is scheduled for this coming Monday by the Association of Natural Scientists, which is the second largest within BHM. Each union negotiates independently, as BHM does not contract on behalf of all its member unions.

The situation reflects a growing concern that university-educated workers are being marginalized in current discussions.