Information regarding the situation in Grindavík
An announcement from The Directorate of Labour in light of the current uncertainty due to the situation in Grindavík:
If wages are not paid to employees of companies in Grindavík due to The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management’s decision of general evacuation, they can contact The Directorate of Labour. The unemployment insurance system’s safety net guarantees payments when an employee has earned an entitlement to unemployment benefits. Self-employed individuals can also contact the directorate.
The Directorate of Labour would like to emphasize the following:
-That people should speak with their employer about the situation before deciding to apply for unemployment benefits.
-In view of the circumstances, applications for unemployment benefits will be valid from the day of The Department of Civil Protection and Emergency Management’s decision of the evacuation of Grindavík, on Friday night the 10th of November. It is therefore not necessary to apply now for unemployment benefits while there is uncertainty.
- We encourage employees to wait until the end of the week to apply for unemployment benefits until the issues are clarified in more detail. That payments are applied for via My pages on The Directorate of Labour’s website.
The Minister of Social Affairs and Labor mentioned on the TV show Silfrin last Monday evening, November 13th. that work has begun on the government's response and The Directorate of Labour is waiting for the matter to be clarified in more detail.
The Directorate of Labour is aware of the current uncertainty and information will be updated regularly on the directorate’s website in Icelandic, English and Polish.
