Interest in volunteering in Iceland has grown in recent years. Each year several thousand people have worked in Iceland for various environmental, conservation or humanitarian causes as volunteers. But with growing interest in volunteering various private companies and shady businesses have taken the opportunity to hire cheap labour, advertising job openings as volunteer opportunities.
Read more: Growing interest in volunteering in Iceland
Labor activists and unions have raised alarm that large numbers of people are each year participating in social dumping, working as volunteers for low to no wages at jobs which should be paid according to collective wage agreements. Many of these people are unaware of the fact that their employers are effectively engaged in wage theft by not paying them them the fair minimum wage for their work.
Read more: Young Hungarian woman came to Iceland to earn a little money, found herself victim of wage theft
In an effort to combat this problem the Icelandic Confederation of Labor has opened an information site, volunteering.is where you can find resources and links to laws governing volunteering and wage agreements to help you find answers to common questions about volunteering in Iceland.
Three key points to keep in mind:
In Iceland, volunteer work is only acceptable in case of charities and cultural or humanitarian activities – not in economically active companies including farming.
It is a violation of Icelandic law and workers right to let volunteers replace employees in a regular job.
Employment contracts stipulating less favorable terms than those provided for in collective agreements are invalid.
Interest in volunteering in Iceland has grown in recent years. Each year several thousand people have worked in Iceland for various environmental, conservation or humanitarian causes as volunteers. But with growing interest in volunteering various private companies and shady businesses have taken the opportunity to hire cheap labour, advertising job openings as volunteer opportunities.
Read more: Growing interest in volunteering in Iceland
Labor activists and unions have raised alarm that large numbers of people are each year participating in social dumping, working as volunteers for low to no wages at jobs which should be paid according to collective wage agreements. Many of these people are unaware of the fact that their employers are effectively engaged in wage theft by not paying them them the fair minimum wage for their work.
Read more: Young Hungarian woman came to Iceland to earn a little money, found herself victim of wage theft
In an effort to combat this problem the Icelandic Confederation of Labor has opened an information site, volunteering.is where you can find resources and links to laws governing volunteering and wage agreements to help you find answers to common questions about volunteering in Iceland.
Three key points to keep in mind:
In Iceland, volunteer work is only acceptable in case of charities and cultural or humanitarian activities – not in economically active companies including farming.
It is a violation of Icelandic law and workers right to let volunteers replace employees in a regular job.
Employment contracts stipulating less favorable terms than those provided for in collective agreements are invalid.
