News

Board Efling of the union has decided to fund Matthildi, an organization for harm reduction, with 1.7 million kronur. The Matthildi organization was founded in 2022 and focuses on harm‑reduction services at the early stages of substance abuse. The aim of harm reduction is to help people stay alive, protect their health, both physical and mental, and to empower them in all small steps towards positive change. Matthildi runs the harm‑reduction service Reyk. The service is free of charge for everyone and places a special emphasis on reaching people at the early stages of substance abuse, with the aim of preventing a more serious development of the problem and untimely deaths. In the period from 4 February 2025 to 31 January 2026, Reyk has provided service to 235 individuals on 1,100 occasions. Of these, 25 percent of the clients are employed, and some of them are members of Efling. These individuals struggle with substance abuse as well as poverty and difficult social circumstances. A steady increase in opioid problems has occurred over the past nearly fifteen years. In addition, problems related to cocaine use, crack and methamphetamine smoking have risen steadily over the last decade. It is very important to provide the group facing this problem with harm‑reduction services and support for recovery. The Reyk service is for many the first point of contact for assistance and provides clients with extensive support, follow‑up and connection to social and health services. Matthildi has assisted many in substance‑use treatment, opioid medication treatment and obtaining appropriate social services. In doing so, the organization has helped individuals recover and be able to keep housing, mental health and continue working.

The board of Efling union approved at its meeting on May 13 a support declaration for strike actions of Norwegian members in the cleaning sector within the sister union Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund. In the declaration, colleagues in Norway sendr are sent struggle and solidarity greetings. The declaration follows below. The board Efling sends struggle greetings and expresses full support for the strike actions of staff in the Norwegian cleaning sector under the leadership of our sister union NAF. The members of Efling recognize the courage and the great work required to organize an effective strike. The board is also well aware of the necessity to improve the terms and conditions of workers in the cleaning sector worldwide, including in Iceland and Norway. Efling believes in the power of the union and wishes our collaborators in Norway the best possible success in their struggle. Norwegian version Efling expresses support for Norwegian colleagues in strike. The board of the Efling union adopted at its meeting on May 13 a support statement for the strike actions among Norwegian colleagues in the cleaning industry within the sister union Norsk Arbeidsmandsforbund. The declaration includes messages of struggle and solidarity to the colleagues in Norway. The declaration follows below. The board of Efling sends a greeting of full solidarity with the striking workers in the Norwegian cleaning sector, led by our sister union NAF. The members of Efling know what courage and hard work are required to organize a successful strike. The board is also aware of the need to improve the terms and conditions for workers in the cleaning industry globally, including in Iceland and Norway. Efling believes in the power of collective action and wishes our colleagues in Norway the greatest possible victory in their struggle.

Stefán Ólafsson writes: The Central Bank is cooling the economy, hoping to bring down inflation. It does this by keeping interest rates high, which bites at indebted households and businesses. However, it does not work on foreign price increases, nor on inflation due to rising housing costs, nor on demand expansion of indebted and high‑income individuals and companies, nor on expansion due to private consumption of a large number of tourists. These measures of the Central Bank have ultimately shown to deliver only limited results and are increasingly extremely unfair in the distribution of burdens. But the Central Bank's method certainly cools the economy, it almost reduces economic growth and increases unemployment. That is the cost of applying the high‑interest policy. Recently the analysis department of Landsbankinn published its economic forecast for the years 2026 to 2028, which assumes growth of only 1.6 to 1.8% over the next three years. That is less than the projected population growth in the country, according to the Statistics Iceland forecast. Growth per capita will therefore be negative. In reality, this means that the economy has entered a stagnation that is expected to continue at least until 2028. This can be seen in the picture below, which shows growth per capita. 

Last Monday, May 4, 30 Efling members graduated from Vocational Course III in Kitchen and Canteen Work, from the Secondary School in Kópavogur (MK). The courses have been held for years in collaboration between Efling and the school, and numerous Efling members have attended them, adding to their knowledge and laying the foundation for further studies. A special feature of the graduation was that the students themselves took care of the food that was served. They cooked main courses and desserts from their countries of origin, and offered guests a variety of delicious treats. Efling and MK have offered three vocational courses of this type and most of the students who graduated now had all three vocational courses. Most of them did this in parallel with full-time work and traditional family life, which speaks volumes about the hard work behind the group. The vocational courses have proven to be a first step in further education for many and five students from this graduating group have already registered for continuing food service training. The vocational courses are intended for staff who work in cooking or service in kitchens and canteens. The training is fully paid for by Efling . The courses include both practical and theoretical teaching that is useful in the workplace, and in vocational course 3, special emphasis is placed on menu planning, cooking for vegetarians and people with allergies and intolerances. The courses are taught in Icelandic with extensive Icelandic support, where vocabulary related to the course material is reviewed. This arrangement has proven successful, both in strengthening vocabulary in cooking and giving participants the opportunity to practice Icelandic in connection with real-life work situations. Efling sincerely congratulates its members on their success.

Changes will be made to the allocation rules for education grants for those members who work in the general market. The changes will take effect on 1 June 2026. Changes to the rules were decided by the board of Starfsafl. Starfsafl is a vocational training fund for those members who work for private companies and who work under the collective agreements Efling and SA. These are major changes in which leisure grants will be discontinued, foreign education will no longer be grant‑eligible and it will be clarified which education and courses are grant‑eligible. We encourage all members who are entitled to grants through Starfsafl to familiarize themselves with the rules. Announcement from Starfsafl about the revised rules: The board of Starfsafl has completed a comprehensive review of the fund’s rules regarding individual grants. This is a continuation of the increase in grants that took effect at the last turn of the year. The new rules take effect on 1 June and involve extensive changes. The aim of the changes is to clarify better what counts as vocational training and what falls outside that scope, as well as to ensure that grants are used as effectively as possible to strengthen work‑related skills and competence of members in the labour market. Grant‑eligible vocational training will from now on only include education that takes place in the country, at institutions or with recognized training providers. An exception to this rule will be language training, which will continue to be funded, whether it takes place with recognized training providers or other parties approved by the vocational training funds. . It will no longer be possible to use accumulated rights for Icelandic language training and therefore a top‑up grant for Icelandic language training of 180,000,- per year will be applied. With the changes, leisure grants are also discontinued and in their place practical education grants will be introduced. Practical education grants will be provided for courses, seminars and conferences that take place in the country and are intended to strengthen members in their work. This includes training in goal setting, communication, leadership coaching, management, conduct, sales and service. No requirement will be made for recognition of training providers. No other changes have been made to the fund’s allocation rules except that the amount of practical education grants, previously leisure grants, increases from 30,000 ISK to 50,000 ISK. Education that takes place abroad will not be funded, and in recent years it has become increasingly demanding to monitor and assess which foreign training providers meet the conditions set for recognized training providers. In view of this, it has been decided to stop providing grants for education that takes place abroad. At the same time, it is considered that there is a strong and diverse supply of education and training in the country that meets the needs of members well. Here you can learn more about the rules that take effect on 1 June 2026.