“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 móðir mín kvaddi okkur fyrir einu ári síðan í dag Gísli Hvanndal Jakobsson Skoðun Þegar ómennskan vitnar í lög Bubbi Morthens Skoðun Líf án ótta og gjöfin í andlegri vakningu Birna Guðný Björnsdóttir Skoðun Framlengjum séreignarleiðina til að vernda heimilin Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson Skoðun Góðan daginn, ég ætla að fá … ENGLISH PLEASE! Ólafur Guðsteinn Kristjánsson Skoðun Þessi stórskrítnu norm í óbarnvænu samfélagi Sólveig María Svavarsdóttir Skoðun Álit Einhverfupaunksins um ABA meðferð og kennslu á Íslandi Sigrún Ósk Stefánsdóttir Skoðun Um vaxtahækkanir og verð á hveiti Haukur Skúlason Skoðun Kenningar úr gildi svo að kirkjan þarf að komast á annað stig Matthildur Björnsdóttir Skoðun Samkennd samfélags Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir Skoðun Skoðun Skoðun Framlengjum séreignarleiðina til að vernda heimilin Vilhjálmur Hilmarsson skrifar Skoðun Líf án ótta og gjöfin í andlegri vakningu Birna Guðný Björnsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Kenningar úr gildi svo að kirkjan þarf að komast á annað stig Matthildur Björnsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Dansaðu vindur Berglind Ósk Guðmundsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Þessi stórskrítnu norm í óbarnvænu samfélagi Sólveig María Svavarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Um vaxtahækkanir og verð á hveiti Haukur Skúlason skrifar Skoðun Öryggi byggir á mönnun og launum Jórunn Frímannsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Álit Einhverfupaunksins um ABA meðferð og kennslu á Íslandi Sigrún Ósk Stefánsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Mammon hefur náð lífeyrissjóðum á sitt band Halla Signý Kristjánsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Forgangsorkan verður ekki skert Tinna Traustadóttir skrifar Skoðun Umhyggja - hvað er það? Árný Ingvarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun „Við höfðum öll rangt fyrir okkur“ Hjörtur J. Guðmundsson skrifar Skoðun Akureyrarbær greiðir götu kvennaathvarfs á Akureyri eins og kostur er Ásthildur Sturludóttir skrifar Skoðun Þegar móðir mín kvaddi okkur fyrir einu ári síðan í dag Gísli Hvanndal Jakobsson skrifar Skoðun Íþróttahreyfingin og gerviverktaka Ástþór Jón Ragnheiðarson skrifar Skoðun Tölum um tilfinningar Amanda Ásdís Jóhannsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Óttinn við íslensku rafkrónuna Birna Guðný Björnsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Áskorun til Sjúkratrygginga Íslands – hugsum í lausnum Björn Bjarki Þorsteinsson skrifar Skoðun Afnemum launamisrétti Guðmundur Ingi Guðbrandsson skrifar Skoðun Hvað hefur Ísland gert? Katla Þorvaldsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Viðhorf almennings og neytenda til sjálfbærnimála fyrirtækja og stofnana skiptir miklu máli Soffía Sigurgeirsdóttir,Trausti Haraldsson skrifar Skoðun Ýmislegt um rafmagnsbíla og reiðhjól Valur Elli Valsson skrifar Skoðun Taugatýpísk forréttindi Mamiko Dís Ragnarsdóttir skrifar Skoðun Hver er ég og hvert er ég að fara? Ellý Tómasdóttir skrifar Skoðun Þeir borga sem nota! Tómas Kristjánsson skrifar Skoðun Að hjálpa fólki að standa á eigin fótum Jón Þór Kristjánsson skrifar Skoðun Samkennd samfélags Guðrún Karls Helgudóttir skrifar Skoðun „Heimferða- og fylgdadeild“ Eiríkur Rögnvaldsson skrifar Skoðun Til varnar mennsku kúgarans Hans Alexander Margrétarson Hansen skrifar Skoðun Þegar ómennskan vitnar í lög Bubbi Morthens 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 Álit Einhverfupaunksins um ABA meðferð og kennslu á Íslandi Sigrún Ósk Stefánsdóttir skrifar
Skoðun Akureyrarbær greiðir götu kvennaathvarfs á Akureyri eins og kostur er Ásthildur Sturludóttir skrifar
Skoðun Viðhorf almennings og neytenda til sjálfbærnimála fyrirtækja og stofnana skiptir miklu máli Soffía Sigurgeirsdóttir,Trausti Haraldsson skrifar