The Icelandic woollen sweater has become a popular souvenir among foreign visitors. Authentic sweaters can be bought from the Handknitting Association of Iceland, located on Skólavörðustígur 19, in central Reykjavík. Around independent 500 knitters from all over Iceland supply the Association with woollen goods but, according to Fréttablaðið newspaper, the knitters are getting paid below minimum wage for their work.
Fréttablaðið reports that the Handknitting Association pays 10,600 ISK (76 Euros/86 USD) for every woollen sweater. The knitters buy the yarn themselves, around 700 grams of yarn is needed for a medium sized sweater, costing 2,420 ISK (17 Euros/18 USD), which leaves 8.180 ISK (59 Euros/66 USD) for the knitter. It takes around two days for a seasoned knitter to finish a medium sized sweater, meaning the hourly rate is well below minimum wage.
According to Þuríður Einarsdóttir, the association‘s chairman, payments to knitters have risen twice in the past year; once in November and again in April. The association was founded in 1977 by women who had boosted their family’s income by knitting sweaters and other woollen goods. Through the association the knitters took the sale of their products into their own hands.
“We’re trying to pay our knitters according to collective bargaining agreements while keeping the price of sweaters within reason. But perhaps we need to price them higher,” she said. The average age of the knitters is relatively high, the oldest one being 93-years-old.
The Federation of General and Special workers in Iceland, which is a federation of trade unions in the private sector and part of the public sector, has criticised the association over low salaries paid to knitters, who are mostly women.
Drífa Snædal, the federation’s CEO, says this is a clear example of how little women’s work is still valued. “This is an outdated outlook which builds on the assumption that women enjoy knitting so much that there is no need to pay them for their work.”
As reported in May, the knitting industry is facing a yarn shortage due to the massive popularity of the Icelandic woollen sweater. Wool manufacturer Ístex has added members to staff in order to try and keep up with demand.
The Icelandic woollen sweater has become a popular souvenir among foreign visitors. Authentic sweaters can be bought from the Handknitting Association of Iceland, located on Skólavörðustígur 19, in central Reykjavík. Around independent 500 knitters from all over Iceland supply the Association with woollen goods but, according to Fréttablaðið newspaper, the knitters are getting paid below minimum wage for their work.
Fréttablaðið reports that the Handknitting Association pays 10,600 ISK (76 Euros/86 USD) for every woollen sweater. The knitters buy the yarn themselves, around 700 grams of yarn is needed for a medium sized sweater, costing 2,420 ISK (17 Euros/18 USD), which leaves 8.180 ISK (59 Euros/66 USD) for the knitter. It takes around two days for a seasoned knitter to finish a medium sized sweater, meaning the hourly rate is well below minimum wage.
According to Þuríður Einarsdóttir, the association‘s chairman, payments to knitters have risen twice in the past year; once in November and again in April. The association was founded in 1977 by women who had boosted their family’s income by knitting sweaters and other woollen goods. Through the association the knitters took the sale of their products into their own hands.
“We’re trying to pay our knitters according to collective bargaining agreements while keeping the price of sweaters within reason. But perhaps we need to price them higher,” she said. The average age of the knitters is relatively high, the oldest one being 93-years-old.
The Federation of General and Special workers in Iceland, which is a federation of trade unions in the private sector and part of the public sector, has criticised the association over low salaries paid to knitters, who are mostly women.
Drífa Snædal, the federation’s CEO, says this is a clear example of how little women’s work is still valued. “This is an outdated outlook which builds on the assumption that women enjoy knitting so much that there is no need to pay them for their work.”
As reported in May, the knitting industry is facing a yarn shortage due to the massive popularity of the Icelandic woollen sweater. Wool manufacturer Ístex has added members to staff in order to try and keep up with demand.
