Iceland - First-ever congress of union - February 28, 2026

In an address opening the first congress of Efling union, the chair positioned collective bargaining as a confrontation over who sustains the country’s welfare systems and who gets paid fairly for it. The speech emphasised that Efling members are “indispensable” workers and argued for stronger organisation to win better wage outcomes and rights at work. While not a single bargaining announcement, such messaging is part of the bargaining environment: it shapes expectations, signals readiness for escalation, and helps unify members behind negotiation priorities.

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For more information, please contact Paul de Beer or Oana Ciuca, De Burcht (Scientific Bureau for the Dutch Trade Union Movement) p.t.debeer@uva.nl or the Head of communications at the ETUI, Mehmet Koksal mkoksal@etui.org. For previous full issues of the Collective bargaining newsletter please visit https://www.etui.org/Newsletters/Collective-bargaining-newsletter or consult the archive with all articles in our database at www.cbnarchive.eu. You may find further information on the ETUI at www.etui.org.