Tammisairaala, a hospital specialising in ophthalmic care, in Helsinki on 24 April 2025. Photo: Emmi Korhonen / Lehtikuva
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The Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) has begun redundancy negotiations that could result in the dismissal of up to 200 facility maintenance workers.
The talks follow a decision to transfer responsibility for institutional care services from HUS to the City of Helsinki. The change, due to take effect in early 2026, is part of an ongoing reorganisation triggered by Finland’s broad healthcare reform implemented at the beginning of 2023.
The employees affected work in the HUS Support Services unit, which handles cleaning and maintenance tasks at social welfare offices. The planned transfer of services to the city does not include the transfer of personnel, leaving affected employees without guaranteed positions after the handover.
Negotiations are scheduled to begin next Wednesday and involve efforts to explore alternatives to dismissals. These could include early retirement, ending fixed-term contracts, or internal restructuring.
HUS Support Services employs approximately 4,500 people. It provides services not only to HUS’s own hospitals and care units but also to the City of Helsinki, Uusimaa welfare areas, and other regional clients under service agreements.
The planned cuts follow an earlier restructuring round last year, when HUS announced that 280 employees would be laid off.
The healthcare district is under financial pressure as it adjusts to new responsibilities and funding structures following the national health and social care overhaul, which aimed to centralise and streamline public healthcare across Finland.
The employees now facing redundancy are primarily responsible for maintaining cleanliness in facilities that will soon fall under city control. The outcome of the upcoming negotiations will determine the scale of job losses and whether any mitigation measures can reduce the impact.
HT
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Source: www.helsinkitimes.fi
