May 1 Address from the President of ASÍ

“There is plenty to share”, is the theme of May 1 this year. It is a reminder of the fact that our wealthy society can share its goods in a way so that nobody has to live in poverty. When times are hard in a household, the response is not to feed the family father more at the cost of other family members. No, whatever the resources are, they are divided fairly between the family members. When guests knock on the door, they are given whatever there is to spare, with hospitality and generosity, often with the words: “There is plenty to share”.

In our wealthy society, that boasts rich oceans, plenty of energy and beautiful nature, nobody should have to live in poverty. From the other end of the negotiating table, and even from the authorities, we hear claims that wages are too high in Iceland, that the export sector should dictate how much there is to share, and that our labour market needs more discipline. These claims reveal a lack of understanding of the lives of most workers. Why do we not just accept what we have? All right, let us go over some of what needs to improve, for us to accept what we have.

First, we must all be able to enjoy our natural resources. They should not be treated as any other product that is sold at a low price to corporates that evade taxes in Iceland. There will be no acceptance while the fishing industry giants make a 42 billion profit but pay only 4.8 billion to use the resource.

There will be no acceptance while the richest people are able to avoid paying into our public funds, whether by using tax evasion, tax relief or offshore companies. Weakening our control bodies will not create acceptance, but only facilitate fraud against the public.

Taxes, including resource rent taxes, should be used to strengthen our welfare system and ensure that people do not have to wonder if they can afford health care or not. That we all have access to education, and that our systems really catch those who fall out of the labour market. That disability or old age do not equal poverty.

The housing market is one of today’s biggest challenges and we need massive effort to improve it. The lack of good, affordable housing means that young people are not able to put roofs over their heads. Many people still live in unsafe and unacceptable housing, and there have already been horrible consequences. All political parties must present a strong housing policy, and the labour movement will continue to do its part. We demand that construction of new housing is guided by social welfare, because the free market will never be able to provide good housing for us all.

When discussing wages, some people imply that the current wage structure in Iceland is set in stone. As if there is some consensus about which jobs are the most important, for example, that people who manage money for a living deserve to get many times the amount that care workers get. We still have a systemic undervaluation of women’s work, some education is reflected in wages while other is not, and a new class division has emerged with the undervaluation of the work contribution and education of foreign workers.

The unemployment insurance system and labour market measures have been more important than ever in the past year, and we have seen how immensely important our safety systems are, but also that they often come short. Expecting continued unemployment shows a total lack of ambition. Now is the time for massive job creation and fulfilment of promises of public investment. That investment should not only be in construction and concrete, but also in people, services, and ideas.

We hear complaints of workers being spoilt. Interest groups clearly intend to blame workers’ wages for every problem, even during a pandemic and deep recession. But who is it really that is spoilt in Icelandic society? The answer is found in the official tax registry, in public statistics and analysis, and in some instances, in offshore accounts.

This strange period that has lasted for over a year has revealed our society’s strengths as well as its weaknesses. We have, for the most part, been able to control the disease without much governmental control, we have agreed to stand united and consider the whole. We have made efforts to ensure the health and safety of the whole – we have relied on social insurance because it is the best form of protection. Our social insurance systems have been the corner stones in this fight, whether it is the unemployment insurance system, health care or education. Clearly, the virus has gained more footing in countries that are dominated by individualistic thought. Moving forward, the solution must be to strengthen our social insurance, for the fight against the virus and for everything else. There is plenty to share!

I wish you all a happy May 1 and a continued fighting spirit!