Stanley Kowal
President of the unions
We watch over legal and decent working conditions
Workers in Iceland have a number of rights that employers must respect regardless of the worker's country of origin. The Kópur labor union ensures that these rights are respected.
Financing education
The Kópur labor unions want to support their members as much as possible. It is known that one of the key issues on the career development path is education. That is why the Kópur unions have created an educational fund, thanks to which various types of training and courses are financed. The financing covers:
– training and courses,
– studies,
– general education to increase competences,
– language courses,
– driving license courses,
– machine and device operation courses,
– examination fees,
– IT courses,
– and many more.
Summer houses and recreation
The fast pace of life and huge amount of work can cause a drop in productivity along with damage to physical and mental health. Therefore, a very important part of life should be rest and recration. In a healthy body – a healthy mind, as the saying goes. Research confirms that working people should ensure adequate quality of rest and remember to spend time with family and friends. The Kópur labor unions have a recreational fund which is an important element of our activity. The recreation fund disposes of a subsidy for the rental of holiday homes for those, who have paid union contributions for 6 consecutive months in the last 24 months. We guarantee access to summer houses throughout Iceland that can be rented by union members for a weekend or a week. The cottages that are rented to our members are fully equipped and of a high standard.
Sickness fund
The reality often surprises us in a bad way. It happens that we are affected by illness, injury or an accident. These activities effectively reduce or eliminate our ability to work. The Kópur labor unions meet the needs of those who are most vulnerable in every situation. That is why a sickness fund for our members was created.
The Kópur labor unions’ sickness fund offers a number of subsidies and benefits, including:
– Allowances for serious illness of the spouse
– Co-financing of active rest (gym, swimming pool, etc.)
– Co-financing for glasses and contact lenses
– Co-financing of psychological therapy
– Hearing aid
– Addiction therapy
– And many more…
Legal assistance
Unfortunately, it happens that employers violate the rights of their employees regarding wages, working conditions or the quality of accommodation. It is difficult for an individual employee who is in a foreign country, sometimes with a language barrier to win with such an employer. An additional obstacle is the fact that people working in Iceland often do not have legal knowledge, and therefore do not have the knowledge necessary to be able to effectively seek their rights.
In situations where the matters are far enough away that legal assistance is needed, Kópur guarantees its members top-class services in this area. Kópur’s lawyers are independent people, not bound by any agreements, boldly and stubbornly claiming the rights of our members.
We invite you to contact us, if you suspect that your or your friends’ employer breaks the law. Let’s not let our relatives be harmed, because together we can do more!
Multilingual service
Iceland is a multicultural and very open country, therefore immigrants from various countries constitute 14% of the population.
Due to this, it was obvious to create labor unions that would be run by Icelanders of foreign origin who were perfectly familiar with the nuances of Icelandic and immigrant mentality. All this means that in Kópur we have focused on a group of perfectly prepared in terms of resources and language, foreigners with Icelandic citizenship who have been on the island for many years, so that all the above-mentioned difficulties do not pose any problems for our team. Service for members at every stage and in every situation is carried out in one hundred percent in English, Polish or Icelandic, as needed.
Feel free to contact us and register with the Kópur labor unions because together we can do more!
Workers' Rights in Iceland
Workers in Iceland have a number of rights that employers must respect regardless of the worker’s country of origin. Some of them are listed below:
- The employer and the employee should conclude a legal, written employment contract within two months from the actual date of commencement of work.
- Every employee is entitled to a minimum rest of 11 consecutive hours.
- Every employee has the right to access his pay slip, which should contain the specified elements of remuneration.
- Wages and benefits are agreed between the trade unions and employers through collective agreements.
- And many more.
