Union talks resuming today

On Tuesday, the Conciliatory Board temporarily stepped out of the negotiations and asked the opposing parties to negotiate wages among themselves.

Neither party wishes to disclose details of the dispute.

The contract between the parties, which expired on 1 May and has since been extended several times, with the latest one lasting until midnight tonight.

The Conciliatory Board has been busy dealing with another conflict recently – the dispute between the General Practitioners’ Association and the finance ministry regarding the possible GP strike. The board asked the GPs’ Association to put its strike announcement on hold for now, which the association agreed to do.

However, the Conciliatory Board has set time aside today to resume talks on the wage dispute between the Employers’ Association and the Engineers’ Union.

The Engineers’ Union is currently negotiating four contracts:

- The contract with national transport company Strandferðslan

- The contract with publicly appointed land-based engineers

- The contract with Vørn, the Faroese Fishery Inspection

- The contract with the crew on research vessel ‘Magnus Heinason’.

There is some way to go before a settlement is reached, says Ólavur Gunnarsson, the chairman of the Engineers’ Union. The union demands a salary that is closer to that of publicly appointed engineers in Denmark. The difference is currently approx. DKK 10,000.

Translated by prosa.fo.