Conclusions and recommendations
in the Student Council of the University of Iceland
The working year 2021-2022
Revision and increase in the maternity grant for students
It is suggested that the Student Council of the University of Iceland advocates that the arrangements for maternity allowances be revised and that the payments of maternity allowances for students be increased.
It is proposed that the Student Council of the University of Iceland send a letter in consultation with the SHÍ Family Committee to the Ministry of Social Affairs regarding the arrangement of maternity grants for students. The aim of the letter is to encourage the reform of the current maternity allowance system and an increase in maternity allowance payments to equalize the situation of student families and families where a parent is outside the labor market.
Argument
On January 1, 2021, a new law on maternity leave came into force in Iceland, where parental leave was extended from 10 months to 12 months for children who are born, adopted or taken into permanent foster care. Parental independence for taking maternity leave and maternity allowance was changed and now the right of each parent is six months, with authorization to delegate six weeks between them, so one parent can take maternity leave for up to seven and a half months and the other for four and a half. This new law is a step towards a fairer system for families in Iceland. But unfortunately, there is a big difference between the situation of new parents in the labor market and parents in education. Students rarely have the right to maternity leave and therefore rely on the student maternity allowance when it comes to supporting their families in the first year after giving birth. Iceland's maternity leave system is divided into maternity leave for working people and maternity allowance. There are two types of maternity allowances: maternity allowance for students and maternity allowance for people outside the labor market (with less than 25% employment). A student is entitled to the student maternity grant if he has been studying full-time (75% - 100% of studies) for the last 12 months, of which 6 months continuously. The maternity grant for students is ISK 190,747. for children born in 2021. If a student does not meet the aforementioned requirements for student maternity allowance, he is entitled to maternity allowance for people outside the labor market. Childbirth allowance outside the labor market is ISK 83,233. per month for children born in 2021. As can be seen, the amounts of the birth allowances are low and are taxable. It can be argued that payments to new parents should not be the acquired rights of a parent, but the right of a child that his family can live in stability while his care should be a priority.
The majority of the parties running for Parliament this fall wanted to improve the maternity leave system in Iceland, and several wanted to see changes to the current maternity allowance system, as can be seen inSHÍ's summary of the parties' election priorities from September 17, 2021. Maternity leave issues are a serious issue that affects many families every year. In the discussion about an improved maternity leave system, there is a risk that parents and families who rely on maternity allowances will be forgotten. The current conditions for maternity support for students give little scope and the current arrangement puts extra pressure on students' academic progress at a sensitive time, for example during pregnancy or childbirth. Therefore, the Student Council should use its voice to encourage the Minister of Social Affairs and the Labor Market to review the current system for the benefit of parents in education and their newborn children.
Transport partners: Jóna Guðbjörg Ágútsdóttir (President of the SHÍ Family Committee) and Ellen Geirsdóttir Håkansson, head of Väka.
Student council meeting: December 16, 2021
The working year 2020 - 2021
About the operation of arcades by the University of Iceland
It is suggested that SHÍ exert pressure on the management of the university to stop operating arcades in Iceland and strive to find other ways of generating income that do not create addiction problems for individuals in society.
Argument
To put this into context, the University of Iceland Lottery is the owner of 500 arcades, which generates 700 million ISK in profit every year. This is 700 million ISK that will certainly go to the university's buildings and equipment, but in order to enable the university to finance these buildings, it has to encourage addiction when it comes to slot machines. Slot machines are not a necessity in our society and by far the largest group of its users are gambling addicts. In a Gallup survey conducted for SÁS, it appears that 93.6% of respondents have never used a slot machine in the last twelve months. Gallup's survey conducted in May 2020 also shows that 86% of the Icelandic population wants slot machines to be closed permanently. This shows that a small group of people, some of whom can be assumed to be gambling addicts, maintain the activity of slot machines.
The counter-argument of HHÍ and the university's management regarding the closing of the arcade is mostly that it was Alþinging's decision to finance the university's buildings, maintenance and equipment purchases with lottery money, and thus blame is thrown on the government. The first step in closing slot machines would be to show that there is a will among students to find another way to finance the university's buildings that does not encourage addiction, and then the discussion would be taken further. Another counter-argument that HHÍ has used against closing slots is that gambling addiction will not be solved by closing HHÍ's slots, but there is no indication that gambling addicts will look elsewhere if slots are closed. The Student Council mostly deals with activities within the university, and what concerns the university concerns us. Our request is simply that the University of Iceland does not participate in the operation of arcades and does not finance its buildings in this way.
Transporters: Ingi Pétursson, student council member, Lenya Rún Taha Karim, head of Väka and Tinna Alicia Kemp, deputy representative and president of Väka
Student council meeting on March 10, 2021 and April 8, 2021
About the operation of arcades by the University of Iceland
It is suggested that SHÍ exert pressure on the management of the university to stop operating arcades in Iceland and strive to find other ways of generating income that do not create addiction problems for individuals in society.
Argument
To put this into context, the University of Iceland Lottery is the owner of 500 arcades, which generates 700 million ISK in profit every year. This is 700 million ISK that will certainly go to the university's buildings and equipment, but in order to enable the university to finance these buildings, it has to encourage addiction when it comes to slot machines. Slot machines are not a necessity in our society and by far the largest group of its users are gambling addicts. In a Gallup survey conducted for SÁS, it appears that 93.6% of respondents have never used a slot machine in the last twelve months. Gallup's survey conducted in May 2020 also shows that 86% of the Icelandic population wants slot machines to be closed permanently. This shows that a small group of people, some of whom can be assumed to be gambling addicts, maintain the activity of slot machines.
The counter-argument of HHÍ and the university's management regarding the closing of the arcade is mostly that it was Alþinging's decision to finance the university's buildings, maintenance and equipment purchases with lottery money, and thus blame is thrown on the government. The first step in closing slot machines would be to show that there is a will among students to find another way to finance the university's buildings that does not encourage addiction, and then the discussion would be taken further. Another counter-argument that HHÍ has used against closing slots is that gambling addiction will not be solved by closing HHÍ's slots, but there is no indication that gambling addicts will look elsewhere if slots are closed. The Student Council mostly deals with activities within the university, and what concerns the university concerns us. Our request is simply that the University of Iceland does not participate in the operation of arcades and does not finance its buildings in this way.
Transporters: Ingi Pétursson, student council member, Lenya Rún Taha Karim, head of Väka and Tinna Alicia Kemp, deputy representative and president of Väka
Student council meeting on March 10, 2021 and April 8, 2021