The main entrance of the newly opened Compass Hospital in Turku, Southwest Finland, on 22 October 2024. The Southwest Finland well-being services county (Varha) announced last week it will terminate 45 jobs after completing consultative negotiations with staff representatives. (Laura Ukkonen – Lehtikuva)
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VARHA, the well-being services county for Southwest Finland, on Thursday announced it has completed consultative negotiations with staff representatives and decided to terminate 45 employment relationships.
An additional 211 employees will be re-assigned – mostly from administrative, executive, managerial and supervisory roles – as part of its effort to generate 270 million euros in cost savings by late 2026.
Altogether some 21,000 employees were within the scope of the consultative negotiations.
The county government will weigh up the belt-tightening measures at its meeting on Tuesday, 5 November.
Across Finland, well-being services counties have been scrambling to meet the government-imposed savings targets amid a string of alarming reports about the state of their finances. The latest forecasts indicate that the counties are set to report a combined budget deficit of 1.45 billion euros for this year.
Minister of Agriculture and Forestry Sari Essayah (CD) in August said the inability to narrow the deficit is suggestive of “a moral hazard” – a fundamental unwillingness to look for savings.
Pirha, the well-being services county in Pirkanmaa, announced earlier last month it will reduce its headcount to the tune of 80 person-years with a focus on expert, executive and managerial positions. The county also said it will make adjustments to the job descriptions of around 150 employees and is prepared to lay off employees who refuse the proposed adjustments.
The objective of the management structure overhaul is to create 12 million euros in cost savings.
The well-being services counties have been responsible for organising regional social, health care and rescue services since January 2023.
Aleksi Teivainen – HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
