Collective Agreements, Committees

Illustration of people working and talking at a table.

Four committees are operational, dealing with collective wage agreements for Reykjavík City employees. These are the negotiation committee, the employment benefits committee, the wage affairs committee, and the wage committee.

Collective wage agreements; the negotiation committee, the wage affairs committee, the wage committee.

The Reykjavík City Negotiation Committee is appointed by the Mayor. The City Executive Council authorized the Mayor by its resolution on February 28, 1989, to manage collective bargaining on behalf of Reykjavík City, referring to Article 3 of Act No. 94/1986 on Collective Agreements for Public Employees and Act No. 80/1938 on Trade Unions and Labor Disputes.

The Mayor appointed members to the Committee on October 16, 2018.

The members of the Reykjavík City Negotiation Committee include:

  • Harpa Ólafsdóttir, Chair
  • Ragnhildur Ísaksdóttir, Deputy Chair
  • Lóa Birna Birgisdóttir
  • Ásdís Ásbjörnsdóttir
  • Rakel Guðmundsdóttir
  • Kolbeinn Guðmundsson
  • Haukur Þór Haraldsson

The Employment Benefits Committee

Representatives of the Negotiation Committee along with representatives of the City's institutions and companies participate in cooperation committees with various trade unions to manage issues that may arise between agreements. The employment conditions committee (cooperation committee) was first established for the Reykjavík City Employees' Union by the City Executive Council's approval on December 19, 1947.

Reykjavík City bargaining parties include about 30 trade unions.

Wage Affairs Committee

The Board of the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities appoints a five-member Wage Affairs Committee to advise the Board and the wage department on labor market issues, collective bargaining, and the preparation of wage policy and negotiation objectives for the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities. The Wage Affairs Committee comprises two board members and three specialists in wage and staff matters from the municipalities. In addition, specialists from the wage department attend the Committee's meetings. The Director of the wage department presides over the Committee meetings.

The Association's Board sets goals and formulates the Association's policy on wage matters, and the Director of the wage department along with the Association's executive director are responsible for ensuring that the Association's goals and policy in collective bargaining are followed.

The Wage Affairs Committee of the Icelandic Association of Local Authorities holds Reykjavík City's negotiating authority with the Icelandic Teachers' Union on behalf of the Primary School Teachers' Association, the School Principals' Association of Iceland, the Music Teachers' Association, the Preschool Teachers' Association, and the Preschool Managers' Association.

Sitting on behalf of the City:

  • Harpa Ólafsdóttir

Wage Committee

The Wage Committee determines the salaries of Reykjavík City's top administrators and also monitors the decisions on wages made by department directors. The Wage Committee must monitor the decisions of the State Wage Committee regarding positions that are used for reference. Renumeration according to the Wage Committee's decision are comprehensive and there should be no additional payments. Email: kjaranefnd@reykjavik.is

The Wage Committee is composed of:

  • Inga Björg Hjaltadóttir, Chair
  • Ólafur Darri Andrason
  • Guðbjörg Andrea Jónsdóttir

Alternates:

  • Runólfur Leifsson
  • Angantýr Einarsson
  • Drífa Sigurðardóttir

The role of the Wage Committee / Resolution for the Reykjavík Wage Committee