The almost 300 nurses who have resigned at Landspítali National University Hospital will get 72 more hours to decide whether they want to go ahead with their plans, as decided at a meeting between the negotiation committees of the Nurses’ Union and the hospital yesterday evening. The deadline was supposed to expire at midnight tonight.

Landspítali (foreground). Copyright: IPA.

Representatives of the Nurses’ Union requested the meeting after having met with Minister of Finance Katrín Júlíusdóttir and Minister of Welfare Guðbjartur Hannesson yesterday morning, ruv.is reports.

Chair of the Nurses’ Union Elsa B. Friðfinnsdóttir stated all are keen to find a solution to the difficult wage dispute. However, she did not want to comment on the status of the negotiations as they are at a sensitive stage, she said.

Elsa told RÚV’s Rás 2 radio program Morgunútvarpið this morning that she is hopeful the wage dispute can be resolved in time. “I’m going to allow myself to be optimistic. I found the meeting with the ministers useful.”

Another meeting is scheduled this morning.

Guðbjartur, minister of welfare, who did not want to comment on the wage dispute until yesterday, told RÚV leaving it unsolved is not an option.

The ministry has not launched any negotiations with foreign hospitals on receiving patients from Iceland in the worst case scenario, Guðbjartur stated, confident that it can be avoided.

Click here to read more about the wage dispute.

ESA