Verkalýðsfélag Akraness, a union that represents manual and unskilled workers in the area around the fishing town of Akranes in West Iceland, including workers in the fishing industry, has sued the whaling company Hvalur hf. for systematic violations of labor laws and labor contracts. The union argues that the company illegally barred its employees from choosing which union to belong to, paying the the worker less than he was entitled to, while also refusing to observe a contractual rest and weekly day-off.
Union has already won test case
Vilhjálmur Birgisson, the leader of Verkalýðsfélag Akraness told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that he had no doubt the union would win the case. The Supreme Court of Iceland recently ruled in favor of the union in a case which is identical to the one the union is now bringing forward. Hvalur hf was forced to pay the employee half a million ISK (4,600 USD/4,000 EUR) in back pay. The current case involves seven other former employees. Two additional cases will be brought by different unions.
Read more: Large majority of Icelanders believe strong unions crucial for workers, strengthen economy
The nine cases are only the tip of the iceberg, Vilhjálmur told Morgunblaðið. We took that one case all the way as a test case and now we want to pursue these seven additional cases. These cases cover the entire scope of all the different cases we are looking at, which is a total of some 100 workers.
Following the feud between the union Verkalýðsfélag Akraness and the whaling company Hvalur hf over workers rights the company took the unprecedented move of telling its workers they could not belong to the union, which is in violation of Icelandic law. The union has also sued the company over this violation, but Vilhjálmur told Morgunblaðið that Hvalur hf appears to have backed off this attack, as the workers at Hvalur hf. are again paying dues to the union.
Verkalýðsfélag Akraness, a union that represents manual and unskilled workers in the area around the fishing town of Akranes in West Iceland, including workers in the fishing industry, has sued the whaling company Hvalur hf. for systematic violations of labor laws and labor contracts. The union argues that the company illegally barred its employees from choosing which union to belong to, paying the the worker less than he was entitled to, while also refusing to observe a contractual rest and weekly day-off.
Union has already won test case
Vilhjálmur Birgisson, the leader of Verkalýðsfélag Akraness told the local newspaper Morgunblaðið that he had no doubt the union would win the case. The Supreme Court of Iceland recently ruled in favor of the union in a case which is identical to the one the union is now bringing forward. Hvalur hf was forced to pay the employee half a million ISK (4,600 USD/4,000 EUR) in back pay. The current case involves seven other former employees. Two additional cases will be brought by different unions.
Read more: Large majority of Icelanders believe strong unions crucial for workers, strengthen economy
The nine cases are only the tip of the iceberg, Vilhjálmur told Morgunblaðið. We took that one case all the way as a test case and now we want to pursue these seven additional cases. These cases cover the entire scope of all the different cases we are looking at, which is a total of some 100 workers.
Following the feud between the union Verkalýðsfélag Akraness and the whaling company Hvalur hf over workers rights the company took the unprecedented move of telling its workers they could not belong to the union, which is in violation of Icelandic law. The union has also sued the company over this violation, but Vilhjálmur told Morgunblaðið that Hvalur hf appears to have backed off this attack, as the workers at Hvalur hf. are again paying dues to the union.
