Reykjavík Grapevine - 16.03.2018, Side 12

There Is Power
In The Union
aIceland’s labour movement is undergoing a revolu-
tion
Earlier this month, Icelanders witnessed
a bloodless revolution. Efling, one of
Iceland’s largest labour unions and
comprised of some of the lowest-paid
workers in the country, held elections
for their board. Although voter partici-
pation was around 15%, some 80% of
these voters chose B-list, a group of
workers led by socialist Sólveig Anna
Jónsdóttir and comprised in large part
by immigrants. They ran on a platform
based on worker control, transparency,
a n d i m p r o v -
ing the hous-
ing situation. It
was Efling’s first
board election
in 18 years and
marked a revolu-
tionary turning
point for them.
B u t t h i s
revolution isn’t
confined solely to
Efling, nor did it
just begin yester-
day. It arguably
began more than
a decade ago,
and it likely will
not stop with
Efling. In a way,
this revolution
was incited by
a distant and
immutable union leadership that is seen
as being more friendly with business
interests than its own workers, as well
as a government that is eager to award
itself benefits and pay raises that exceed
what the average working Icelander can
expect.
The union makes us strong
Ragnar Þór Ingólfsson, the chair of
VR, the Reykjavík merchant’s union,
led a revolution of his own within that
union, in the wake of the 2008 financial
collapse. He brought a similar platform
as B-list’s in that union’s elections in
2009, winning the chair in 2017. Ragnar
told Grapevine that he was "In the
clouds" over the Efling election results.
"It was so decisive,” he said. “There
has been so much disappointment
lately, of people getting elected and
then doing something different than
from what they promised. We're just not
used to seeing people saying they will do
something, getting
elected, and then
actually doing it. A
lot of expectations
are resting upon us
now."
Ragnar is also
absolutely certain
there is a revolution
going on.
“ I t ' s h a r d l y
possible to call it
anything else, in
that we have over-
thrown a certain
power structure in
the labour move-
ment that has been
there for decades,”
Ragnar explains, but
he credits the start
of the movement to
Vilhjálmur Birgis-
son, chair of the Akranes Labour Union,
who was swept to victory in 2004 on a
platform that can be seen reflected in
both Ragnar and B-list. But for Ragnar,
the leadership of the Confederation of
Icelandic Labour Unions (ASÍ) has only
itself to blame.
"The current command structure of
ASÍ has been based on a lack of interest
or participation in the needs of its own
members,” he says. “When the workers
within Efling and VR rise up against
what is actually a small group of people
in power, it comes to light that there is
actually nothing behind these powerful
people."
A “wake-up call” to the
people
For his part, Vilhjálmur described the
election results as “a wake-up call to
the people that they can take the power
back. That they can make a difference.
This was shown in a very decisive matter
while sending a very clear message
that the old platform [of the union]
has been rejected once and for all."
Vilhjámur also sees a revolution
going on, and believes both the top
of union leadership and the Icelandic
government left working people with
little choice but to take over their own
unions. Vilhjámur has been a very vocal
critic of ASÍ leadership, in particular of
ASÍ president Gylfi Arnbjörnsson, about
whom he said in 2016 “this man cannot
call himself a labour leader”, in response
to Gylfi’s dismissal of the demands of
striking teachers. Vilhjálmur has also
likened ASÍ leadership to North Korea.
Ragnar agrees with the impotence
of top union leadership, saying, "While
grassroots political groups began to
spring up and move to action within
Parliament, the labour movement sat on
their hands with nothing new to offer.
They did nothing while people found
they weren't making enough money to
live on. It hasn't [until now] been able to
step forward in a credible way to fight
against this."
Even those immersed in business
interests have been forced to recog-
nise this worker’s revolution. Styr-
mir Gunnarsson, the former editor of
Morgunblaðið, recently took to roundta-
ble news discussion show Silfur Egils to
admit frankly that “the main reason for
this shake-up within the labour move-
ment is because of what is happening in
society; that very few people have taken
more than their share, at the expense of
others.”
Indeed, recent news that members
of Parliament have awarded themselves
pay rises that raise at a greater rate than
the wages of working people, in addi-
tion to having their travel and phone
expenses paid off by the Treasury, tax-
free, has caused considerable outrage in
the general public.
We’re just getting started
Ragnar is certain that the revolution
spread.
"This is just the beginning," he says,
citing upcoming movements with the
Suðurnes labour union and the Icelan-
dic Union of Marine Engineers and
Metal Technicians (VM). It should also
be added that Vegbúar, a semi-official
labour union for professional drivers,
have been very vocal supporters of
Efling.
"These are unions currently led by
people who refuse to face what's going
on in the movement,” Ragnar says. “If
these people continue to push back
against the will of the people to put a
new emphasis in the movement, to have
a more active movement, with greater
and deeper solidarity, then this leader-
ship is just going to fall. This is a very
strong message from the workers. And if
they don't change their tune, they know
they won't last long."
"There are entirely too many people
who are working for very low wages,
can't make ends meet from month to
month, and have been left behind by
Icelandic society,” Villhjálmur says.
“These people have now risen up, and
said, 'Help us improve our conditions'.
And now there's a movement going on
to ensure that everyone can live with
dignity; not just some people."
Words:
Paul Fontaine
Photos:
Art Bicnick
NEWS
“The current
command
structure of
ASÍ has been
based on a lack
of interest or
participation in
the needs of its
own members.”
12 The Reykjavík Grapevine
Issue 04 — 2018First
Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir
"We have overthrown a certain power structure in the labour
movement that has been there for decades"