About 40 percent of Efling members experience a lack of material and social resources – in other words, they live in poverty. The situation of Efling members is significantly worse than that of members of other unions within ASÍ and BSRB, around 20 percent of whom experience similar deprivation.
This is stated in a report by Varða, the Labour Market Research Institute, on the situation of wage earners in Iceland. The findings clearly show that the financial position of Efling members is generally much weaker than that of members of other trade unions.
A total of just over 45 percent of Efling members find it difficult to make ends meet, and nearly 8 percent find it very difficult. By comparison, 28 percent of members of other ASÍ and BSRB unions report difficulty making ends meet, of whom 3.5 percent find it very difficult.
Only just over 40 percent of Efling members say they could handle an unexpected expense of 100,000 ISK without going into debt. Other workers consider themselves in a much stronger position in this regard, with nearly 64 percent saying they could meet such an expense.
A quarter cannot afford a proper meal every other day
When looking at what is categorised as material deprivation in household finances, a very clear disparity appears between the situation of Efling members and that of members of other trade unions, to the clear disadvantage of Efling members.
- 27% of Efling members do not have access to a car, compared with 7% of other workers.
- 24% of Efling members cannot afford meat or fish every other day, compared with 12% of other workers.
- 25% of Efling members cannot pay all their bills on time, compared with 8% of other workers.
- 52% of Efling members cannot replace worn-out furniture, compared with 30% of other workers.
- 36% of Efling members cannot afford a one-week annual holiday away from home, compared with 23% of other workers.
Nearly one-fifth of Efling members lack two pairs of shoes
When it comes to what is classified as individual material deprivation, the situation shows little improvement for Efling members compared with members of other ASÍ and BSRB unions.
- 17% of Efling members do not have two pairs of shoes, one of which is waterproof, compared with 8% of other workers.
- 23% of Efling members cannot replace worn-out clothing, compared with 9% of other workers.
- 53% of Efling members cannot afford to engage in leisure activities or hobbies, compared with 33% of other workers.
- 41% of Efling members cannot spend a small amount of money on themselves weekly, compared with 33% of other workers.
- 44% of Efling members cannot afford to meet friends or family for a drink or meal once a month, compared with 34% of other workers.
Over seven thousand Efling members experience severe deprivation
In assessing whether people experience a lack of material and social resources, the results are based on how many areas of deprivation are present. People who experience deprivation in 5–6 out of 13 areas are considered to be experiencing general deprivation, while those deprived in 7 or more areas are considered to experience severe deprivation.
- 20% of Efling members experience no deprivation, compared with 38% of other workers.
- 17% of Efling members experience general deprivation, compared with 11% of other workers.
- 22% of Efling members experience severe deprivation, compared with 10% of other workers.
In light of the above, it is clear that the situation of Efling members in Icelandic society is both serious and considerably worse than that of other workers. There is no way to sugar-coat it – the results of Varða’s survey show that about 13,000 Efling members are trapped in poverty, lacking both material and social resources. Of these, more than 7,000 experience severe deprivation. In addition, the situation of around 5,000 other Efling members is fragile, and it would take very little for them to be pulled into the same poverty trap.