Tag: claims of union busting

Ræstitækni ehf.
The union Efling claims that the cleaning company Ræstitækni ehf. “forces employees to complete tasks under severe time pressure, often in extremely stressful conditions. No worker is paid in accordance with the agreed contract. Additionally, employees reportedly have no access to toilets or designated meal areas.” as reported by RÚV.

This comes after RÚV’s published an interview with a worker from Rætitækni, currently on maternity leave. Efling supports her story and says that Ræstitekník’s management tried to undermine her after she became a shop steward and spread knowledge to her colleagues about their wage, and even more after she became pregnant.

As an example of the strain and stress, the worker reports that she couldn’t always get access to a toilet, so she and her colleagues resorted to keeping a bucket in the car that they peed in.

“Efling also claims that Venezuelan workers are regularly assigned to work two shifts in a single day and are expected to complete tasks in an extremely short timeframe, forcing them to work at an intense pace. However, none of the affected employees have received wages that reflect these demands. The company allegedly monitors workers via GPS tracking, and they reportedly have no time for meal breaks or access to toilets during their shifts.” reports RÚV.

The company Ræstitækni ehf.’s owner Þórir Gunnarsson has denied the claims.
- Ræstitækni ehf., kt. 460502-4460, real owner: Þórir Gunnarsson. Company registry
SOURCES

[IS] https://efling.is/2025/02/efling-bregst-vid-brotum-thrifafyrirtaekisins-raestitaekni/

[ENG] https://www.ruv.is/english/2025-02-17-efling-cleaning-company-violates-terms-and-mistreats-workers-436453

[IS] https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2025-02-16-segja-raestitaekni-brjota-gegn-kjarasamningum-og-eiganda-fyrirtaekisins-fara-med-rangt-mal-436380

[IS] https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2025-02-14-alagid-slikt-ad-starfsmenn-thurftu-stundum-ad-pissa-i-fotu-436302
Rök, Subway, Public House, Hard Rock Cafe, Finnsson Bistro
In 2024, Efling trade union warned its members against joining the VIRÐING union (union for employees), which they claim is a “fake union”. They argued that it was created by SVEIT (union for employers) to lower working conditions in the hospitality industry.

Others shared Efling’s concerns.

Efling listed several reasons for their claims:

According to Efling, “Virðing’s agreement with SVEIT offers a monthly salary 52,000 ISK lower than the agreements between Efling and Samtök Atvinnulífsins. Additionally, Virðing does not offer a sick leave fund, which is against the law.”

“The union was founded by employers, and its board consists of employers or their close relatives, which contradicts the goals of trade unions.”

“The conditions offered by Virðing do not align with the collective agreements in the hospitality industry.” IWW Ísland also made a summary of the reasons why it might be a “yellow union”.

After disclosing this information publicly, Efling encouraged companies to leave SVEIT and several did according to Efling. At the end of December, Efling published the name of 5 companies, all restaurants, which were still registered with SVEIT and Virðing despite the public warnings. Here is the public information on the companies, from the national companies registry:
- RÖK (Taste ehf.), kt. 670614-0340, real owners: Magnús Örn Scheving, Hrefna Björk Sverrisdóttir, company registry
- Subway (Stjarnan ehf.), kt. 410949-0169, real owner: Skúli Gunnar Sigfússon, company registry
- Public House Gastropub (Gastropub ehf.), kt. 700115-0460, real owner: Eyþór Mar Halldórsson, company registry
- Hard Rock Cafe (HRC Ísland ehf.) kt. 441215-0610, real owner: Högni Pétur Sigurðsson, company registry
- Finnsson Bistro (K3 ehf.), kt. 610404-3830, real owners: María Hjaltadóttir, Klara Óskarsdóttir, Finnur Óskarsson, company registry
SOURCES
- [ENG] https://www.ruv.is/english/2024-12-05-efling-warns-against-the-virding-union-calling-it-fictitious-430284
- Efling article [IS] https://efling.is/2024/12/thetta-eru-fyrirtaekin-ad-baki-gervikjarasamningi-sveit-og-virdingar/
- Companies withdrawing from the Virðing union [IS]: https://heimildin.is/grein/23533/veitingahusaeigendur-segja-sig-ur-sveit-ad-sogn-eflingar/
- Employment contract allows audio recordings of employees [IS] https://heimildin.is/grein/23546/radningarsamningur-heimilar-hljodupptokur-af-starfsfolki/
- Virðing answering the claims [IS] https://www.visir.is/g/20252673933d/stjorn-virdingar-motmaelir-osonnum-fullyrdingum-i-fjolmidlum
- Others sharing Efling’s complaint [IS] https://www.ruv.is/frettir/innlent/2025-03-17-kvarta-undan-sveit-til-samkeppniseftirlitsins-438976
Subway also appears in the news for claims of surveillance/spying of employees: https://listofshame.is/2024/03/21/subway/
Ítalía – Geitin
The restaurants Ítalía and Geitin have appeared a lot in the news with claims of their staff, former staff and the union Efling of several and serious forms of wage theft.

According to workers’ claims reported in the newspaper Samstöðin and the union Efling, the boss does not pay salaries, or only part of the salaries, or not in time, even after being asked to do so repeatedly. Other claims are unpaid overtime, not paying union dues, and paying trial shifts with gift cards.

The union Efling adds that 38 staff have contacted them about these rights violations. According to Efling, 17.000.000 ISK of unpaid salaries is still due, which is around 40 months of a minimal wage. This led to the organization of a campaign with protests in front of the restaurant Ítalía.

The newspaper Samstöðin published an article about a former staff who was registered by the boss in a union that did not cover her activity, and the union dues not paid. The article explains how that form of stealing is not illegal in Iceland and how the bosses can make money for each worker who does not claim their rights.

Sources published from May to October 2024:
The restaurants are owned by Elvar Ingimarsson and Björgvin Narfi Ásgeirsson through the company Opera Service ehf.

Opera Service ehf (kt: 620124-0360); Declared bankrupt 11.12.2024; Real Owner: Elvar Ingimarsson (company registry)

UHS ehf. (kt: 560321-2010); Declared bankrupt 13.12.2024; Real Owner: Elvar Ingimarsson (company registry)

Ítalgest ehf. (kt: 471292-2149); Declared bankrupt: 9.10.2024; Real Owner: Elvar Ingimarsson (company registry)
Tröllaferðir / Tröll Expeditions
Heimildin reports that workers of the company have needed assistance of their unions for getting their salaries paid correctly. The workers claim that the company did not pay their salaries according to the legal agreements, or that the overtime was not paid to them properly. The case of a former worker was even presented to court.

As the article report, among the illegal things that the workers claim is that they were prevented of being in a union. The company refuses to regard Leiðsögn, a union in the guiding industry, as a real union and does not hire candidates in that union.

Furthermore, some of the workers rent places owned by the company itself without their consent. They say that they have to pay the rent when then quit their jobs.

Source published in November 2023:
- https://heimildin.is/grein/19619/leitad-til-logmanna-ut-af-meintum-kjarabrotum-trollaferda
The owner of this company is :

Tröll ferðaþjónusta ehf. (kennitala: 430316-1760); Real owner: Ingólfur Ragnar Axelsson (company registry)

Tröll Vík ehf. (kennitala 601117-2310); Real owner: Ingólfur Ragnar Axelsson (company registry)

Tröll Tæki ehf. (kennitala 700719-0300); Real owner: Ingólfur Ragnar Axelsson (company registry)
Restaurant Hraun
In 2019, Heimildin reported the story of an employee who was fired after going to the union for assistance 🇮🇸. Here is what the newspaper reports:
- The worker was not paid overtime in this hotel restaurant managed by an owner with a history of bankruptcies.
- The worker was forced to pay the owner to live in a very dirty and unsanitary room. There was no renting contract, which is illegal.
- The manager fired the employee after he went to talk to the union.
- The owner made physical threats to the worker and another former worker when the story was made public.
- The owner said he would not pay the last month of salary.
Source published in Februar 2015:
- Starfsmanni vikið úr starfi eftir að hann leitaði til stéttarfélagsins – Heimildin
Hraun eldhús ehf. (kt: 551214-1680); declared bankrupt: 03.10.2019; ceased operations under this kennitala: 03.01.2020 (company registry)
Messinn
In 2020, several newspapers followed the staff as they were struggling to get several months of salaries still unpaid. According to those articles:
- When COVID started, the two restaurants closed and the staff did not receive salaries or anything from the state relief fund given to the boss.
- After several months, the boss fired everybody but did not pay salaries for months during the termination notice, they could not get unemployment benefits because of this.
- The former owner sold the restaurants and the new owner opened them again with a new business number, and took no responsibility for the unpaid wages 🇮🇸. The new owner runs several restaurants in Selfoss and Reykjavík.
- The former owner quit communication with the workers.
- Former workers organised to picket the restaurant 🇮🇸 and call for boycott until they were paid their stolen wages.
During the newspaper investigations, other stories from previous years were reported 🇮🇸:
- In 2018, an Efling union representative discovered that workers were paid below minimum wage and did not receive pauses, between other issues.
- She successfully convinced her colleagues to request legal working conditions.
- As a retaliation, she was taken off the shift plan 🇮🇸.
- Other workers tell that they were understaffed and the boss took their propositions for improving the workplace without respect.
- Some staff had no working contracts. Some were paid minimum wage without taking into account work experience.
- A worker says that the salaries were paid late and sometimes not correctly.
Sources published May – July 2020:
Krossalind ehf. (kt: 680711-0890), real owner: Baldvin Jóhann Kristinsson; declared bankruptcy 27.05.2020, ceased operations under this kennitala: 5.11.2020 (company registry)

22 niðri ehf. (kt: 620513-1560), real owner: Baldvin Jóhann Kristinsson; declared bankruptcy 7.10.2020, ceased operations under this kennitala: 14.07.2023 (company registry)

Tag: claims of union busting

Ræstitækni ehf.

Rök, Subway, Public House, Hard Rock Cafe, Finnsson Bistro

Ítalía – Geitin

Tröllaferðir / Tröll Expeditions

Restaurant Hraun

Messinn