A statement issued yesterday by the pseudo-union Virðing, which has been reported in the media, states that the Efling Union’s collective agreement is not tailored to the working environment in restaurants. This is incorrect.
The correct thing is that there is a collective agreement in force between Efling and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprises (SA) for hotel and restaurant employees, commonly referred to as the hotel and restaurant agreement.
The collective agreement in question was signed on March 7 of this year, as part of the Stability and Welfare Collective Agreement 2024 – 2028, and approved in a general referendum by members of Efling who work under the agreement.
The hotel and restaurant agreement is not new but has been in place for many years. It specifically addresses restaurant working environments, working hours, and conditions. The agreement and wage tables are published on Efling’s website. Efling has also published a detailed comparison of the so-called collective agreement between the pseudo-union Virðing and SVEIT and the hotel and restaurant agreement.
It is therefore surprising that the representatives of the pseudo-union Virðing are now making a statement as if the collective agreement between Efling and SA for employees in hotels and restaurants does not exist. Either this is a deliberate attempt at deception on the part of Virðing or a widespread lack of knowledge.
Either way, both are very serious. If Virðing is deliberately trying to deceive the media and the public, it is shameful and unethical conduct. If, on the other hand, Virðing’s representatives are not aware of the hotel and restaurant agreement, it is extremely serious in light of the fact that the company is run by people who run restaurants. This again clearly shows that Virðing is not a real union but a pseudo-union.
In other respects, Efling reiterates all of its previous arguments regarding the pseudo-union Virðing and its fraudulent agreement with SVEIT.
If an employer has had or attempted to have, an Efling member sign an employment contract that refers to the fraudulent agreement between Virðing and SVEIT, or if Efling members believe that they are being paid under the fraudulent agreement, they should contact Efling immediately. This can be done on the reporting page, here.