Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.06.2017, Blaðsíða 12
There’s been a lot of hype lately about
the arrival of American low-price re-
tailers Costco in Iceland. Icelanders
have been practically over the moon
about the things they sell that you
can’t buy here, the lower prices at Cost-
co for things that you can buy else-
where in Iceland (including petrol),
and the fact that their bottled water
costs less than the per-bottle mon-
ey you get from waste management
company Sorpa when you recycle with
them. What hasn’t been discussed in
Iceland is what Costco employees in
this country are being paid.
Costco has a great reputation in the
US when it comes to workers’ rights. In
a country largely absent of a national
healthcare system and with a weak-
ened federal pension fund, Costco em-
ployees enjoy both health insurance
and a 401k. The average hourly wage
of a Costco employee in the US is also
over $20 per hour. Iceland already has
national health and several pension
funds (for now), but what are the Ice-
landic Costco employees getting paid?
The short answer: more than our
own unions require, which raises
questions about how much our unions
fight for their workers.
Our unions
don’t demand much
Iceland does not have a minimum
wage; rather, wages are decided by
collective bargaining negotiations be-
tween the respective labour union for
a profession and management. VR is
the labour union to which Costco em-
ployees in Iceland belong, as the union
confirmed for us by phone. They also
confirmed that Costco employees are
paid in accordance with the existing
collective bargaining agreement (CBA)
for workers in their field, and we were
directed to a copy of this agreement.
According to this agreement, as
of May 1 2017, beginning full-time
12 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 10 — 2017
Costco’s Wages
Go Beyond What
Icelandic Unions
Demand
Maybe our unions need to work harder?
Words: Paul Fontaine Photos: Art Bicnick Share this: gpv.is/usi09
ANALYSIS
Costco employees get a better deal
AKUREYRI OFFICE + 354 497 1000
WHALES, PUFFINS & REYKJAVÍK DEPARTURES 2017 - 19.990 ISK
WHALES, EYJAFJORD & AKUREYRI DEPARTURES 2017 - 19.990 ISK
April 15th -
May 31st.
May 15th -
June 15th.
10:00, 14:00
10:00, 14:00
REYKJAVIK OFFICE + 354 497 0000
str
and
gat
a
HOF
Lundargata
Fró
ðas
und
Eið
s
Gra
nuf
elag
sga
ta
Hofsbot
Brekkugata
Hafnarstræ
ti
ave
gu
rOd
dag
ata
Skipagata
G
rerárgata
Grundargata
eyjargata
TICKET OFFICE
WHALE SAFARI
Æg
isg
arð
ur
Gei
rsg
ata
Geirsgata
No
rð
ur
stí
gu
r
Nýlendugata
Mýrargata
Hlé
sga
ta
Rastargata
Vesturgata Miðbakki
Suðurgata
Ægi
sga
rðu
r
Ægi
sga
rðu
r
TICKET OFFICE
WHALE SAFARI
Re
yk
jav
ík O
ld H
arb
ou
r
#CLOSERTONATURE • #THEULTIMATEWHALEWATCHING • #WHALESAFARI
+354 497 0000 • WHALESAFARI.IS • INFO@WHALESAFARI.IS
THE ULTIMATE
WHALE
WATCHING TOURS
FROM REYKJAVÍK & AKUREYRI
CLOSER
TO NATURE
CERTIFCATE of
EXCELLENCE
“ONE OF THE MOST FUN
ACTIVITIES IN REYKJAVÍK ”
Reviewed July 2016
“THE ONLY WAY TO SEE WHALES”
Reviewed August 2015