Tuesday, October 20, 2015

Iceland's Police go on 'strike'

Police Protest
There is currently discontent within the Icelandic Police force regarding low wages and the State’s apparent refusal to negotiate. Police in Iceland have called in sick en masse in what is thought to be the second unofficial strike over pay this month. A week after some police stations had to close because of the number of absences, Icelanders were warned again on Friday that forces had depleted numbers due to "illness". As in many countries, Iceland's police have no legal right to strike, and the government has warned that it will take "appropriate legal action" against officers found to be breaking the law.

Snorri Magnússon, Head of the National Police Federation of Iceland, denies any organised efforts for such action on the part of the Federation, saying that “we cannot answer for the actions of individual members”.


Reykjavik's police force said "many" officers were not at work. The action coincided with a 48-hour strike by more than 3,500 civil servants, who are also protesting over pay. On Thursday, about 300 officers - almost half of the country's police force - joined other public sector workers on a march to parliament. 

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