Negotiations continue for engineers’ contracts at SEV and IRF in Faroe Islands

Negotiations regarding the contracts for the engineers at SEV and IRF continued late into the evening yesterday.

“The parties have received a draft of a settlement proposal to consider, and we expect to hear back from them by midday. Based on their response, we will decide whether to continue the negotiations,” stated Terje Sigurðsson, the mediator.

He noted that the negotiations are challenging, and there is a significant distance between the parties.

The mediation office was appointed on July 5.

The mediation office, the Association of Local Authorities, and the Engineers’ Union held a meeting regarding the engineers at SEV and IRF yesterday.

The mediator was appointed on July 5 after negotiations between the parties broke down.

The previous agreement expired on October 1, 2022.

In 2005, an agreement was not reached between SEV and the Engineers’ Union. Although the parties had come to a consensus, the Ministry of Finance did not approve it.

This led to a strike by the engineers at SEV, resulting in power outages across the country for various periods. The parliament intervened, as it was deemed essential for the public to have access to electricity. Subsequently, the parliament passed a law requiring the engineers to return to work by extending the previous agreement. Eventually, the parties reached a new settlement.

If an agreement cannot be achieved with the engineers and they consider going on strike, the question remains what the parliament will do in response.