News - 27.03.2025
After VR’s Annual General Meeting
At the well-attended Annual General Meeting of VR, held on Wednesday, 26 March 2025, proposals regarding the merger of VR and Leiðsögn and the review of the union’s grant allocations were approved. Newly elected Chairperson, Halla Gunnarsdóttir, addressed collective agreements in her speech and said that preparations for the next round of negotiations would begin immediately in April, as the union leadership intends to approach negotiations well-prepared and united. She emphasized that the most important thing in this context is that the wage improvements achieved through agreements are not immediately taken from workers through increased fees, price hikes, and rising housing costs.
At the meeting, the board’s report was reviewed, and the union’s financial statements for the year 2024 were approved. The board submitted several proposed amendments to the union’s bylaws, all of which were approved. The proposals can be viewed in full here.
A proposal in connection with the review of VR’s grant allocations was approved at the meeting. This review entails a vote among VR members on the structure of the union’s grants, which for the past two decades have primarily been paid out through the VR Contingency Fund. If members approve the adoption of a new grant system in a general vote this autumn, the VR Contingency Fund will be dissolved. A detailed presentation of the VR Contingency Fund on the one hand, and a traditional grant system on the other, will be published on the union’s platforms in the lead-up to the vote.
The proposal for the merger of VR and Leiðsögn – Tourist Guide Union was also approved. Read more about the approval here.
Learning from the Last Collective Agreements
Halla stated that the last collective agreements were approved by VR members a year ago on the basis that inflation and interest rates would decrease, and workers accepted lower wage increases than they might otherwise have, with the hope that the outcome would be beneficial. However, interest rates are still far too high – and wage increases continue to be blamed for inflation. The inflation in question did not stem from wage increases but rather from poor management of housing policy, Halla said, external influences, and profit-seeking by Icelandic companies, manifested in the high prices of necessities. We must learn from the last collective agreements and approach the next negotiations well-prepared, with a clear vision and united.
Housing, Vocational Training, and Inclusion
Halla also discussed the union’s major past and future projects, including housing issues. VR allocated 36 rental apartments through the VR Blær housing cooperative to VR members during the operating year. The union will continue its efforts in housing matters, for both young and old, said Halla at the meeting. VR also placed greater emphasis on lifelong and continuing education during the operating year. Earlier this year, the website Ræktum vitið ("Cultivating Knowledge") was launched, a result of collaboration with the Federation of Trade and Services, and is available to everyone seeking information about lifelong learning opportunities.
Another development that the union noticed significantly this year is the large increase in members with foreign citizenship, who now comprise about 17% of all members. VR has responded to this with an inclusion campaign, initiated by the union’s Equality and Human Rights Committee. “We simply cannot sustain our society with only the workforce that was born here and spoke its first words in Icelandic. This is a fact, and we intend to work with it,” said Halla.
Halla also addressed yellow unions and pseudo-unions, saying they are manifestations of efforts to dismantle real unions. Where unions have been dismantled, working people experience significantly worse conditions, financial insecurity, and even poverty despite full-time employment. “In places where a strong labour movement is absent, the productivity gains of recent decades have gone into the pockets of big companies instead of those who create the value,” Halla said.
Review of the Organizational Structure
Looking ahead, Halla stated that the merger with Leiðsögn, which was approved at the meeting, will entail some changes. The board has already approved a plan to launch a review of the union’s organizational structure. It is time to assess whether the current structure serves the operations and VR members in different roles and regions effectively.
VR Gold Badges
At the Annual General Meeting, three individuals were awarded the VR Gold Badge and thanked for their outstanding work within the union. They are Árni Leósson, Jón Hrafn Guðjónsson, and Jóhanna Sigurbjörg Rúnarsdóttir. The election of the Chairperson, Board, and Consultative Council was announced, as union elections took place in March. Election results can be viewed here. Other Annual General Meeting matters were addressed.
The contribution to the VR Contingency Fund will total ISK 1,050 million for the year 2024 and will be paid into the fund on Friday, 28 March.
