Reykjavík Grapevine - 11.02.2005, Side 8

One Fatality So Far
One important issue revolves around
safety issues in general and training
qualifications of foreigners working
at the site. All
workers at power
plant sites must
work to a standard
agreement, part of
which states that
the workers must
have qualifications
approved by
the Icelandic
authorities.
Impregilo is
unwilling to
comply with these
rules, instead
saying that most
of their overseas
workers are highly
experienced
and that long
experience makes
up for lack of formal qualifications.
And there was a fatal accident at
Kárahnjúkar last March.
Sleeping Rough
Accommodation provided by
Impregilo for its workers was
substandard for a long time. Two
people shared a small room, there
was no communal area, and the
cafeteria was too small, both as far
as kitchen staff and Kárahnjúkar
workers were concerned. Conditions
have now improved, but some
of the new buildings are still
prone to frost and leakage. Even the
new dining area, which was heralded
at the time as a vast improvement,
was criticized at a recent site visit by
Impregilo executives from Italy.
While it was still in the planning
stage, in a time of increasing
unemployment, the authorities
promised that dam construction
would provide jobs for Icelanders.
And, although Impregilo said
they would employ some of their
previous employees who had
experience of working on dam sites,
the Icelandic government promised
the Confederation of Icelandic
Labour that the ratio of Icelanders
to foreigners would be approximately
80:20.
A Long Way from China...
This, however, is not the case.
Impregilo itself now employs only
about 100 Icelanders out of 1100
employees. Impregilo says that
Icelanders do not want to work
there and the turnover is very high,
but one reason for this could be
that much higher salaries are paid
for similar work elsewhere. Other
European workers do not stay
long either, so
Impregilo are
now resorting
to bringing in
workers from
outside the
EU, primarily
China, much to
the anger of the
Icelandic trade
union movement.
Because they
receive a much
higher salary than
they would do
back in China,
and because they
would have to pay
the prohibitive cost
of a flight back to
China themselves
if they decided to leave before the
end of the 5.5 month contract,
Chinese workers are more likely to
stay.
...And Somewhat Colder than
Portugal
Approximately 150 Portuguese
employees also work on the site,
recruited through an employment
agency in Portugal subcontracted
by Impregilo. These employees at
one point were stuffing newspaper
in their shoes because they had
not been provided with adequate
footwear. Allegations are now
afoot that the Portuguese receive
lower wages, as Impregilo has not
been deducting the full amount of
tax from their salaries because the
Portuguese have to pay tax back in
Portugal.
Landsvirkjun has also contracted
out some of the work to a few other
Icelandic companies, one of which,
Arnarfell, employs virtually only
Icelanders while Fossverk employs
20 foreigners out of a total staff of
110. Neither Arnarfell nor Fossverk
have difficulty recruiting and
keeping workers, which perhaps says
something about Impregilo.
by Lowana Veal
�������
Halldór Not Worried
Prime Minister Halldór Ásgrímsson
remains undaunted by the results
of a recent Fréttablaðið poll show-
ing that respondents consider him
the least trusted person in poli-
tics, second only to Foreign Minis-
ter Davíð Oddsson. Oddly enough,
Oddsson was also shown to be the
most trusted person in politics. Only
3.8% of respondents said the same
about Prime Minister Ásgrímsson,
who said that polls are always go-
ing up and down “but this is some-
thing that we´ll sail through.”
Copywriting “Iceland”
Reaching across party lines, Leftist-
Green party chairman Steingrímur
J. Sigfússon and Progressive party
member and acting Foreign Minis-
ter Geir H. Haarde both agreed that
the food market chain “Iceland”
should not be allowed to copyright
the word “Iceland” in European
Union countries. Steingrímur also
pointed out that Baugur owns most
of Iceland (the food market chain)
and recommended the government
encourage Baugur to withdraw its
intentions to copyright “Iceland.”
Sex With 287
A new American research report
which studied the sex lives of
young people found that the aver-
age teenager has sex, indirectly,
with 287 other people. The study
concludes among other things
that this points to a grave danger
of the spread of sexually transmit-
ted diseases among young people.
Infectious disease specialist Dr.
Haraldur Briem commented on the
study, saying that using a condom
was “the only protection.” About
2000 Icelanders every year con-
tract chlamidya.
US Military to Compensate
Icelanders
After hearing both sides of a case
concerning a breach of a labour
contract, the Reykjavík District
Court ruled that the United States
military must pay 20 to 30 Icelan-
dic employees of the NATO base
120 to 130 thousand krónur each.
Many Icelandic workers from the
NATO base have complained that
different aspects of their contracts,
such as overtime, were not hon-
oured by the base. The case was
held up for some time as questions
arose over whether grievances
should be filed with the base or the
Foreign Ministry.
The Suðurnes Cat Plan
Officials in Suðurnes have devised
a new way of managing stray cats.
Every cat owner will register their
cats and receive a “permanent
mark” that the cat must wear at all
times, at a cost of 15,000 krónur. If
a cat is caught and has a county-is-
sued tag, the cat is released. If the
cat doesn´t have a county-issued
permanent mark, the cat is kept
for up to a week before being put
down unless claimed by its owner.
The owner will then be charged
1,400 krónur per day that the cat
was held in addition to a flat 5,000
krónur care fee. For more on why
this plain is wrong, go to
http://www.grapevine.is/
?show=newsstory&id=133.
Before construction started, Kárahnjúkar dam in the highlands
of eastern Iceland was highly controversial. But the Environment
Minister overturned the Planning Authority’s rejection of the
environmental impact statement, and the project was put out
to tender. Three of the six companies who applied subsequently
withdrew their offers, on the basis that the project was too risky. The
Italian firm Impregilo tendered for a substantially lower amount
than the others; their offer was accepted, and work at the site began
not long afterwards. But so far the project has been one disaster after
another.
KÁRAHNJÚKAR:
Colder Than Portugal
and a Long Way From China
KÁRAHNJÚKAR STATS
(SUBJECT TO CHANGE):
Employees: 2585 persons

Icelanders: 450
Europeans (total): 1701
(Thereof) Portuguese: 193
Non-Europeans: 434
(Thereof) Chinese: 237
80 new work permits were
given out last week for non-EC
workers.
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