Vote on strike action causes surprise

In recent years, the Municipality of Hafnarfjörður has revolutionised the work of its nursery schools and the working environment for their staff. A concerted effort has been made to make jobs within the municipality's nursery schools more attractive and the working environment more appealing.

The highest pay for jobs in nurseries in the country  

The municipality increased the pay of an unskilled group of staff above the general collective agreement from February 2023. It now pays five pay scales higher than the general agreement for jobs in nurseries. In addition, the council pays for five hours of unworked overtime. It is therefore very surprising, given the benefits the town's nursery staff enjoy above the general collective agreement, that the ballot committee of the Hlíf Trade Union is now holding a strike ballot for all its members employed in the town's nurseries.

A vibrant nursery school

The City of Hafnarfjörður is proud of the success achieved in its nurseries. Proud of the nurseries' strong staff and of being able to offer general staff in the City of Hafnarfjörður's nurseries the highest wages for work in nurseries in the country. Recruitment for positions within the nurseries has gone well in recent quarters. The youngest children are now 15 months old at the time of enrolment. The council's management can see that its measures are beginning to pay off. The transformation of the nurseries has affected all staff groups within them, including unskilled staff, who work under the Hlíf trade union's collective agreement. The council has also supported its staff to pursue professional qualifications. A number of staff have taken advantage of this support alongside their jobs to gain professional qualifications.