Efling union warns of housing crisis for low-income workers

Sólveig Anna Jónsdóttir, chairperson of the Efling union, has raised concerns regarding the housing situation for manual and low-income workers in Iceland. She stated that a large group of people has been ‘frozen out’ of the rental market due to high interest rates and strict lending conditions imposed by the Central Bank.

Many union members, particularly young workers without parental financial support, find themselves unable to transition from renting to homeownership. The union is advocating for a ‘rent brake’ to prevent monthly index-linked increases and is calling for the state to take greater responsibility for developing a general public housing system to support both domestic workers and immigrants.