Recruitment and working conditions

Contracts of Employment

• Contracts of employment should provide general information on the terms and job responsibilities of the employee, such as wages, method of payment, term of employment, working hours, holidays and holiday allowance and so on.

• Often a job description is attached to a contract of employment, and this contains more detailed information on the employee's field of responsibility and the manner in which the work shall be performed.

• The contract of employment shall also state the collective wage agreement that applies to the employment terms of the employee and on which his or her employment terms are based.
• Employees are free to negotiate for better terms of employment than the minimum terms provided for in collective wage agreements. Employers and employees may not, however, negotiate lesser terms than those provided for in the collective wage agreement. Such negotiated agreements are invalid.

Stofnun ráðningarsambands á vef ASÍ
Upphaf starfs og ráðningar ríkisstarfsmanna

Terminations

• If an employer or employee terminates a contract of employment, such termination must always be notified in writing. The termination generally takes effect on the first day of the month following the delivery of the letter of termination. The notice of termination begins from that date. See comment from SA
• The notice of termination is the period that must pass from the date that the termination takes effect and the date that the employee leaves.
• The length of the period of notice is governed by the length of service and/or age of the employee in question. Notices of termination are generally one to three months, but may be longer or shorter according to the provisions of the applicable collective wage agreement.
• Employees are under obligation to work throughout the notice period, unless otherwise specifically agreed between the employee and the employer.

Atvinnuleysi á island.is
Hópuppsagnir - Skilgreining og reglur á vef Vinnumálastofnunar

Working conditions

Working hours

• The working week in Iceland is generally 40 hours of daytime work, or 8 hours per day.
• Rules on working hours, rest periods and holidays may be found in the acts of law and in collective wage agreements.
• The working arrangements of individual employees in specific jobs are stated in employment contracts.

Mandatory days off: The festival days of the national church, the first day of summer, Labour Day (1 May), 17 June, and Tradesmen's Day, which is the first Monday in August. Enn fremur aðfangadagur jóla og gamlársdagur frá kl. 12 eða 13 eftir ákvæðum kjarasamninga. Sjá lög nr. 88/1971 og kjarasamninga

Working environment

• The employer is under obligation to ensure employees a safe and healthy working environment, according to the laws and rules on health and safety.
• The employer must ensure that bullying and sexual harassment do not occur in the workplace. See comment from SA

Bullying and sexual harassment in the workplace
Upplýsingar og eyðublað til kvörtunar hjá Vinnueftirlitinu

Shop stewards

• Shop stewards may be elected from among the employees in work units employing five or more employees. Rules on electing a shop steward vary. Collective wage agreements provide further guidance. See comments of both
• The shop steward is the employees' contact with their union and their representative with the employer.
• Shop stewards shall ensure that laws and collective wage agreements are complied with, and provide employees with information and advice on their rights.

Um starfsemi stéttarfélaga á island.is
(Um stöðu og hlutverk trúnaðarmanna á vef ASÍ)

Links of interest

Bullying and sexual harassment

• Fjármálaráðuneytið. Einelti á vinnustað
• Jafnréttisstofa. Kynferðisleg áreitni
• VR. Vellíðan í vinnu
• SFR. Einelti á vinnustað

Contracts of Employment

• Almennur ráðningarsamningur. Sýnishorn (word, 49 kb)
• Ráðningarsamningur ríkisstarfsmanns. Fyrirmynd (word, 52 kb)
• Starfsskyldur ríkisstarfsmanna

Shop stewards

• Hlutverk trúnaðarmanna á vef ASÍ

Working hours

• Vinnu- og hvíldartímareglur á vef ASÍ
• Vinnu- og hvíldartími starfsmanna ríkisins

Health and safety

• Aðbúnaður og hollustuhættir á vef ASÍ
• Landlæknir. Heilsan á vinnustað
• Vinnueftirlitið. Vinnuvernd, forvarnir og heilsuvernd
• Vinnueftirlitið. Útgefið efni um félagslega og andlega áhættuþætti á vinnustað

Laws and regulations

• Lög og reglur á sviði vinnuverndar
• Lög um aðbúnað, hollustuhætti og öryggi á vinnustöðum
• Lög um hópuppsagnir
• Lög um kjarasamninga opinberra starfsmanna
• Lög um rétt verkafólks til uppsagnarfrests
• Lög um réttindi og skyldur starfsmanna ríkisins
• Lög um stéttarfélög og vinnudeilur
• Lög um tímabundna ráðningu starfsmanna
• Lög um 40 stunda vinnuviku
• Reglugerð um aðgerðir gegn einelti á vinnustað