Iceland: Wildcat Strike of Polish Workers

There are generally good working conditions at the expansion of the electric power plant in Hellisheidarvirkjun - but not for everybody. Around 300 people are working for various companies on construction-related projects. On August 20, a few Romanians had to stay and work overtime. At 8PM it came to light that two of them were killed on the job. The employers tried to sweep the whole incident under the carpet.

The company tried to cover up the deaths. Because of this, the foreigners working at the Altak firm held a meeting. They decided to discuss the safety situation at work and the Poles decided not to work for 2 days. They also prepared a list of changes that they want their employer to make. They decided that if the firm doesn't comply, they will all call in sick.

The action is being by the workers directly, without unions.

Saving Iceland wrote a press release on the deaths:
Press Release
Saving Iceland, August 22, 2008

Deaths at Reykjavik Energy Due to Harsh Circumstances of Low-Paid Foreign Workers

Reykjavik, Iceland – Two days ago two Romanian workers suffocated while wielding pipes for the geothermal expansion project at Hellisheidi, east of Reykjavik (1). The Hellisheidi power plant is being expanded by Reykjavik Energy company. The campaign group Saving Iceland states that serious accidents are almost unavoidable due to the extreme circumstances the Eastern European workers in Iceland are forced to work in.

At the construction site for the Hellisheidi geothermal power plant expansion, the labour intensive work is done by Polish and Rumanian workers. These live in a work camp on the construction site. The Rumanian pipe wielders of which two died are working for Altak, a contractor of Reykjavik Energy.

This is a summary of the circumstances workers are living in (2).

- The pipe wielders work 72 hour weeks in up to 17 hour long shifts, even in the harsh Icelandic winter.

- They work there for 3-6 months on end and then have a three-week holiday before they return to this project or a similar project in Iceland or elsewhere.
- They are not paid to Icelandic standards but to Romanian standards, with a monthly salary approximating 2300 Euros at current exchange rates (for a 72 hour work week).
- They are however paid in Icelandic Krona, rather than Euros. Due to devaluation of the Krona they have seen a quarter of their income disappear without compensation.
- They are forced to stay in the camp, with one night out in Reykjavik per month.

- The work camp is worse than a prison – there are no recreational facilities and no gymnastic / sports facilities. Even their televisions do not work because the location hampers reception.

- Requests for simple facilities such as a football pitch or even a table tennis table are turned down.
- Those who complain too much are threatened with loss of their jobs.
- Workers have been told the expansion of the power plant is meant to provide energy for the city of Reykjavik. In fact, the plant is being expanded to provide energy to Century Aluminum’s smelter at Grundartangi, north of the city.

“It is not surprising that deadly accidents happen to workers who have to work 17 hour pipe wielding shifts. It is ironic that a public owned company such as Reykjavik Energy, who credits itself with being clean and green, constructs its facilities by exploiting foreign workers in this fashion. No Icelander would work in these circumstances. The only people willing to do this work are those that have very little opportunities and have no choice but to do this, to support their families back home,” says Jaap Krater, a spokesperson of Saving Iceland.

“We have brought this issue up at previous actions that we have done at Hellisheidi (3, 4), but Reykjavik Energy has taken no action to improve the worker’s lot. Now that a number of workers have suffered a horrible and tragic death by suffocating in the pipes they were wielding, action has to be taken now to stop this scandalous behaviour by a company that is owned by the city of Reykjavik,” says Krater.