The birdcage fitted

Once again, an Icelandic trade union is engaged in a wage dispute. Most visible have been women's professions that have struggled to renew collective agreements this year and last year. Efling recently concluded a collective agreement with municipalities after a long struggle. The journey has been to be without a contract, then to have to walk the plank in discussions with society, and then the fight against unreasonable employers. Nurses are still working on their struggle, and now it's the turn of flight attendants. Yet another women's profession that performs difficult but undervalued work. And as listed, the profession must go through the same ordeal as those mentioned above.The working conditions of flight attendants are not on par with other professions within aviation, nor can they be compared to many professions outside the aviation sector.Conditions are set that are on the verge of what is acceptable, such as age limits, appearance, demeanor, and clothing.It is clear from the reactions of the men who run Icelandair that they believe the company's downfall and humiliation are at the hands of the staff, especially flight attendants who have always been self-sacrificing frontline workers. But now they have become arrogant with aggression and swagger. -It is actually good that their view comes out because it gives the profession an opportunity to show the arrogant CEO that he and the boys are merely reflecting themselves.The profession is showered with mansplaining, and they are spoken to in a condescending manner as if they are fools who do not know how the world works.The company's superiors went so far in belittling their staff that they brazenly disregarded the rules of procedure that apply in wage negotiations, which led to ASÍ feeling compelled to write a letter stating the following: "We trust that both the state mediator and the Confederation of Icelandic Enterprise will urge their people to respect the rules."While managers and others come up with a cliché-ridden proposal that the lowest-paid people should bear the brunt, solution-oriented proposals have emerged to assist the country's only airline. One is to establish a subsidiary, and another could be for the state to take over the company entirely. The airline would thus become state-owned, which is not uncommon in our neighboring countries.The leadership of the airline would do better to work on societal solutions rather than suffocate in their own arrogance.We demand that the Icelandair negotiating committee face the fact that the company is nothing without these employees. These people have cared for the company's interests and been proud of their workplace. With the negotiation proposals that have come from Icelandair, this is being sacrificed, and we want to ask if it is really worth it.We encourage the negotiating committee and members of the Icelandic Cabin Crew Association to stand together firmly and not give up. That you wear the Valshamur that Freyja wore in mythology and win this fight with solidarity.We,Socialist Feminists, stand with you in the wage dispute. Go, Freyjas.On behalf of Socialist FeministsMargrét Pétursdóttir, Ynda Eldborg, Arna Þórdís Árnadóttir, Elísabet Ýr Atladóttir, Jóna Guðbjörg Torfadóttir, Laufey Ólafsdóttir, Katrín Baldursdóttir and Candice Michelle Goddard