Cleanzine: your weekly cleaning and hygiene industry newsletter 11th April 2024 Issue no. 1109
Your industry news - first
The original and best - for over 20 years!
We strongly recommend viewing Cleanzine full size in your web browser. Click our masthead above to visit our website version.
Meanwhile in Iceland...
Some 10,000 members of the Federation of General & Special Workers in Iceland (SGS) are to strike in an attempt to win an increase in the minimum wage. The workers - 32% of whom work in cleaning services provision and tourism, will begin a series of stoppages next week, culminating in a general strike on 26th May.
Voter turn-out was just over 50%, but 94.6% of those voted in favour of the measure.
SGS chairperson Bjoern Snaebjoernsson told the Reykjavik Grapevine reporter that the proportion of workers voting is significantly higher than worker voter participation has been in the recent past, especially amongst those working in the fishing industry. He said that this may have been due to recent news that the board of one of Iceland's largest fishing corporations, HB Grandi, planned to award itself billions in bonuses, while offering their own workers free popsicles.
As reported, SGS has already announced that its members are prepared to strike if management does not agree to their key demand, which is to raise the minimum wage to 300,000 ISK (£1,463) per month over the next three years.
Currently, the base salary of an SGS worker is 201,317 ISK (£982), increasing to 214,000 ISK (£1043) after four months' work. Most workers will not see more than 222,030 (£1083) per month after seven years on the job.
The schedule of work stoppages and the general strike is as follows:
April 30: Work stoppage from noon until midnight.
May 6 and 7: Work stoppages from midnight until midnight.
May 19 and 20: Work stoppages from midnight until midnight.
May 26: General strike begins at midnight.
Image: courtesy of Frikki
23rd April 2015