Labour Day Is Our Day

Labour Day is celebrated across the country under the slogan Our Strength Is the Welfare of All. It serves as a reminder of the importance of employees in building the welfare society we live in, and that through solidarity we have achieved results that attract attention worldwide.

I would like to take this opportunity to address young people.

The rights you enjoy today are the result of the struggles of previous generations, and they will only endure if we stand guard together.

Know your rights and defend them.

Be active in discussions about your own interests and take part in the struggle.

Success is not achieved without unity, and in the coming autumn months we may be tested on whether we can stand together as one. This coming September, a decision will be made on provisions in the collective agreement stipulating that twelve-month inflation in August must not exceed 4.7%; the condition will be considered met if the six-month inflation rate remains within limits. According to inflation forecasts, the margin is narrow, and as elections approach we look to municipalities to assume responsibility and honour their promises of moderate public charges. It is also important that companies reduce profit expectations and lower the price of goods; the same applies to the banks. A welfare society built on the contribution of all employees in the country must not become a paradise for only a select few. If it comes to pass that collective agreements do not hold this autumn, it is crucial that we are prepared to act as one and defend our interests.

An upcoming vote will also be held on whether to continue Iceland’s accession negotiations with the European Union, and the nation is divided into two equal groups. As an advocate for improved conditions for VR members, I want the opportunity to examine whether such an agreement would deliver better terms for us, and I trust the Icelandic nation to take an informed position. Norway has twice completed an agreement with the European Union but rejected membership in a national referendum: first in 1972, when 53% of the Norwegian nation rejected the agreement, and again in 1994, when 52% did the same. There is nothing wrong with completing the application process, seeing what Iceland’s membership of the EU would mean for the country’s economy, and then making an informed decision.

It is my hope that people across the country will come together and use the day to celebrate the milestones of the labour movement. This is our day!

Eiður Stefánsson, Leader of the Commercial Federation of Iceland and of the Association of Retail and Office Workers in Akureyri and surrounding areas.