Date of birth
19 May 1974
Area of operation
Reykjavík and environs
Workplace, job title and education
I work at VSÓ Consulting and handle special projects in the office.
Over the years, I’ve worked in a lot of different places. I’m lucky to be old enough that I was allowed to work as a teenager. I worked in gas stations and shops out in the countryside. I also worked at a freezing plant in the city and as a dried fish packer, which I especially enjoyed. I had the unique experience of travelling to the United States as an au pair. For 20 years, I worked in sales, before taking a U-turn last year and beginning in a totally new field in 2022. Today, I work at an engineering office. I have also completed a Journeyman’s examination in hairdressing and Clerical Track I and II from Menntaskólinn í Kópavogi.
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Kristjana í stjórn VR
Experience in community engagement
I first started working within VR in 2006 as a Shop Steward. I was on the union’s Consultative Council from 2007 to 2009 and again from 2010 to 2011. During that time, I ran for a position on the Board and served as a member and an alternate between 2011 and 2018. I missed it a lot, so I ran again in 2021. During these years, I’ve actively participated on committees within VR and also the Icelandic Confederation of Labour (ASÍ). I served on the ASÍ Environmental Committee and as an alternate member of the Central Committee. I am currently on the Vocational Training Committee, Future Committee, Sick Pay Fund and am the Chairman of the Legal Committee and the Grants Committee.
Main focuses
Vocational training issues, equality and shortening the work week are at the top of my list. As a middle-aged woman without a university education, I feel that my opportunities in the labour market aren’t the same as those with a higher level of education. This is why I believe it is so important for vocational training to be available to everyone and for it to be as diverse as possible. The opportunity to attend courses and study programmes while working can open so many doors, not to mention bolstering people’s confidence so they dare taking the step of applying for their dream job. Shortening the work week is also incredibly important. It will give us more time to live our lives. Young people today have a very different outlook on life than we did not so many years ago. Today, work is no longer the top priority, but rather life itself and everything it has to offer. Of course, everyone understands that they need to work, but they also need to live life and enjoy it, and that takes precedence on the list of priorities. I believe we achieve better work when we have more balance.
Article from candidate
Shortening the work week is very important to us. Being able to spend more time with your family and/or on your hobbies and interests is becoming increasingly important to people. Young people today have a very different outlook on life than we did not so many years ago. Today, work is no longer the top priority, but rather life itself and everything it has to offer is. Of course, everyone understands that they need to work, but they also need to live life and enjoy it, and that takes precedence on the list of priorities. I believe we achieve better work when we have more balance. We’re more content and, as a result, in a better position to contribute more. It is hoped that this also leads to greater equality between genders. Having more flexible working hours and being able to adapt to circumstances, family structure and children’s/parents’ ages at any given time can make a huge difference. More and better balance also reduces the likelihood of illness, burnout and dropping out of the labour market, which is better for our society as a whole and saves considerable cost throughout the whole system. We’re living longer and longer, and we have to start accounting for these things earlier in our lives: it’s too late to start thinking about our body and mind once we’re already retired. We have to do so all the time, and flexibility and a shorter work week helps with that. Surveys have been conducted that reveal just how important this all is. We’re a better society when we are healthy, have balance and feel that we have control over our time and our lives. That is why it is so important now that the next collective wage agreements help to lower interest rates and inflation so that we get the most for our wages and that our purchasing power increases. Although I think these issues are very important, there are so many other things that are on my priority list: equality, vocational training, welfare and housing issues. These are all important issues and need to go hand in hand for our society to grow and prosper. The stronger we are as individuals, the better society will be as a whole.
I have worked in the leadership of VR for a long time and find that it is fun and rewarding work, and I think I still have a lot to offer. The union's Board consists of 15 individuals, all of whom are different, with different focuses and views on each issue. This is a diverse group, and by exchanging opinions and discussing the issues from different points of view, I believe we will get the best result for VR members. It is the people we are working for, and the interests of our members, that I always have in mind for each individual issue.
I hope to have the opportunity to continue working in making our great union even better and to keep fighting for a better society. Thank you in advance for your support.