One of the Icelandic seamen’s unions, Sjómanasamband Íslands (SSÍ), has announced that negotiations with the vessel owners have come to an end without resolution.
All three unions are reported to have walked out of negotiations and no new talks are scheduled. Unions claim that the owners are prepared to meet the unions’ demands for an increase in the percentage of catches used as a basis for calculating crew shares or for contributions towards making up for the loss of seamen’s tax breaks.
SSÍ has called on its members to stand firm and not give way.
A new meeting has by law to take place within two weeks, although that much of a delay before talks are restarted are unlikely. On previous occasions strikes by seamen have been ended with legislation pushed through parliament to get the fleet back to sea.
This time union leaders have said that they do not expect this to happen, and the new minister of fisheries has also been quoted as saying that the legal route is not an option as unions and owners need to reach a settlement themselves.
On the other hand, the industry is increasingly nervous and the likelihood of a legal solution to the impasse grows stronger by the day.
