Efling – union has been notified of the fact that, in response to the current situation caused by Covid-19, measures have been taken in many workplaces which effect the working conditions of Efling members. Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chairman of Efling, has sent a letter to the municipal authorities of Reykjavík, Seltjarnarnes, Mosfellsbær, Ölfus, Kópavogur and to other care work facilities, requesting information regarding which changes have been made which will affect the members of Efling.The letter requests information specifically regarding the following:
- Have shifts or the working hours of employees been altered and if so, how has it been done? Have the stipulations of collective agreements been followed during the process?
- Have the jobs of Efling members been altered or have they been handed other/additional responsibilities because of Covid-19?
- What information and/or recommendation has been disseminated to members of Efling?
- Which measures have been taken to enforce the ban of assembly, i.e. that no more than 20 people occupy the same space together and that a 2-meter gap between people is guaranteed in order to lower the risk of contagion?
Sólveig Anna says that the reason for this query is that pressure on staff within Efling has usually increased enormously when more mundane contagions such as the Noro virus, influenza or threadworm spread throughout workplaces. That therefore, there is every reason to assume that in the case of a life-threatening pandemic, the demands on staff with regards to cleaning and sanitizing will increase even more. “In regular circumstances, care workers are under enormous pressure in underfunded workplaces, which are also more or less constantly understaffed. We wish to be able to fathom the extent of the measures taken in order to be able to demand improvements if need be. It is unacceptable that people who work under enormous pressure for low wages at the best of times should be made to solve the problems resulting from the pandemic by working harder and faster for the same wages as before. We will decide on the best course of action once we’ve received the answers to our queries,” says Sólveig Anna.