“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 Pólitískt hugrekki og pólitískt hugleysi: ólík stefna tveggja systurflokka Birgir Finnsson Skoðun Sniðgangan á Rapyd slær öll met Björn B. Björnsson Skoðun Ísland gjaldþrota vegna fatlaðs fólks? Alma Ýr Ingólfsdóttir Skoðun Trumpistar eru víða Trausti Breiðfjörð Magnússon Skoðun Árið 2023 kemur aldrei aftur Heiðrún Lind Marteinsdóttir Skoðun Mig langar að byggja heim með frið og umlykja með ást Guðmunda G. Guðmundsdóttir Skoðun Hvernig hljómar 100.000 kr. mánaðarlegur samgöngustyrkur? Valur Elli Valsson Skoðun Þjóðin stendur með sjúkraliðum Sandra B. Franks Skoðun Vegið að íslenska lífeyriskerfinu Björgvin Jón Bjarnason,Þóra Eggertsdóttir,Halldór Kristinsson,Guðmundur Svavarsson,Elsa Björk Pétursdóttir,Jón Ólafur Halldórsson,Arnar Hjaltalín Skoðun Það þarf ekki að biðjast afsökunar á því að segja satt Þórður Snær Júlíusson Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Sigríður Dögg Auðunsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Það þarf ekki að biðjast afsökunar á því að segja satt Þórður Snær Júlíusson skrifar Skoðun Lífeyrissjóðirnir og Íslandsbanki, hluthafafundur á mánudag Bolli Héðinsson skrifar Skoðun „Þegar arkitektinn fer á flug“ - opinber umræða á villigötum Eyrún Arnarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Heilbrigðiskerfið þarf stjórnvöld með bein í nefinu Svandís Svavarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Börn eru hvorki veiðigjöld né öryggis- og varnarmál Grímur Atlason skrifar Skoðun Í vörn gegn sjálfum sér? Ólafur Stephensen skrifar Skoðun Mig langar að byggja heim með frið og umlykja með ást Guðmunda G. Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Þjóðin stendur með sjúkraliðum Sandra B. Franks skrifar Skoðun Vegið að íslenska lífeyriskerfinu Björgvin Jón Bjarnason,Þóra Eggertsdóttir,Halldór Kristinsson,Guðmundur Svavarsson,Elsa Björk Pétursdóttir,Jón Ólafur Halldórsson,Arnar Hjaltalín skrifar Skoðun Ísland gjaldþrota vegna fatlaðs fólks? Alma Ýr Ingólfsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Veiðigjöld, gaslýsingar og valdníðsla Kristinn Karl Brynjarsson skrifar Skoðun Sniðgangan á Rapyd slær öll met Björn B. Björnsson skrifar Skoðun Pólitískt hugrekki og pólitískt hugleysi: ólík stefna tveggja systurflokka Birgir Finnsson skrifar Skoðun Árið 2023 kemur aldrei aftur Heiðrún Lind Marteinsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Trumpistar eru víða Trausti Breiðfjörð Magnússon skrifar Skoðun Fasteignagjöld eru lág í Reykjavík Sara Björg Sigurðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Gerræðisleg áform í anda Ráðstjórnarríkjanna Guðmundur Fertram Sigurjónsson skrifar Skoðun Opið svar til formanns Samleik- Útsvarsgreiðendur borga leikskólann í Kópavogi! Rakel Ýr Isaksen skrifar Skoðun Nýbakaðir foreldrar og óbökuð loforð Ingveldur Anna Sigurðardóttir skrifar Skoðun Þegar bráðamóttakan drepur þig hraðar Hólmfríður Ásta Hjaltadóttir skrifar Skoðun Samkeppnin tryggir hag neytenda Hanna Katrín Friðriksson skrifar Skoðun Stóðhryssur ekki moldvörpur Hallgerður Ljósynja Hauksdóttir skrifar Skoðun Við getum gert betur Einar Bárðarson skrifar Skoðun Tími til að notast við réttar tölur Sigurjón Þórðarson,Eydís Ásbjörnsdóttir,Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson skrifar Skoðun Hvernig hljómar 100.000 kr. mánaðarlegur samgöngustyrkur? Valur Elli Valsson skrifar Skoðun Ábyrg stefna í útlendingamálum Þorbjörg Sigríður Gunnlaugsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Týndu hermennirnir okkar Bryndís Haraldsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Gerist þetta aftur á morgun? Ísak Hilmarsson skrifar Skoðun Frá Írak til Gaza: Hvað höfum við lært af lygunum og stríðsbröltinu? Helen Ólafsdóttir 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.
Vegið að íslenska lífeyriskerfinu Björgvin Jón Bjarnason,Þóra Eggertsdóttir,Halldór Kristinsson,Guðmundur Svavarsson,Elsa Björk Pétursdóttir,Jón Ólafur Halldórsson,Arnar Hjaltalín Skoðun
Skoðun Vegið að íslenska lífeyriskerfinu Björgvin Jón Bjarnason,Þóra Eggertsdóttir,Halldór Kristinsson,Guðmundur Svavarsson,Elsa Björk Pétursdóttir,Jón Ólafur Halldórsson,Arnar Hjaltalín skrifar
Skoðun Pólitískt hugrekki og pólitískt hugleysi: ólík stefna tveggja systurflokka Birgir Finnsson skrifar
Skoðun Opið svar til formanns Samleik- Útsvarsgreiðendur borga leikskólann í Kópavogi! Rakel Ýr Isaksen skrifar
Skoðun Tími til að notast við réttar tölur Sigurjón Þórðarson,Eydís Ásbjörnsdóttir,Eiríkur Björn Björgvinsson skrifar
Skoðun Frá Írak til Gaza: Hvað höfum við lært af lygunum og stríðsbröltinu? Helen Ólafsdóttir skrifar
Vegið að íslenska lífeyriskerfinu Björgvin Jón Bjarnason,Þóra Eggertsdóttir,Halldór Kristinsson,Guðmundur Svavarsson,Elsa Björk Pétursdóttir,Jón Ólafur Halldórsson,Arnar Hjaltalín Skoðun