Annual Report 2019-2020

2 the large groups of women who keep our city running was long overdue. After a long strike, the city nevertheless had to acknowl- edge the validity of our demands. We also signed a col- lective agreement with the state regarding a correction of the wages of historically underappreciated female workers. And finally, after a long fight and strikes, we got a similar result in a collective agreement with SÍS. Our triumph once again demonstrates the value of the strike weapon. With unwavering and powerful solidar- ity, we managed to break through the city’s defense of their low wage policy and exploitation of the work of our comrades. The members of Efling rose to the challenge with cour- age and determination and described their wages and circumstances in such a way as to leave no listener unmoved. Thus, victories are won, both then and now. Dear comrades. It’s hard to find the right words to begin this short address at this time. The consequences of the Covid-19 pandemic on our very existence are hard to predict. But they have already proven disastrous; loss of employment with all the accompanying distress and worries. This past year, like the one before, has been uniquely eventful. The winter was filled with hard struggles where the members of Efling employed by the City of Reykjavík declared war on the city’s cruel low-wage policies. The result of the strike call vote was historic, where 95.5% of the poll’s respondents voted in favor of strike action. The city’s representatives nevertheless refused to face the fact that among our ranks there was a unanimous consensus that a correction of the wages of CHAIRMAN’S ADDRESS THE STRUGGLE FOR ECONOMIC AND SOCIAL JUSTICE IS RELENTLESS