Helsinki university hospital district faces labor court over nurse pay dispute

The Union of Health and Social Care Professionals (Tehy) will take its pay dispute with the Helsinki and Uusimaa Hospital District (HUS) to Finland’s labor court, accusing the employer of violating collective agreements through changes that could lower wages, reports public broadcaster Yle.

Negotiations between Tehy, representing healthcare workers, and municipal employers broke down earlier this year over a new tiered pay system set to take effect this autumn. The system ties wages more closely to job demands, responsibility, and required expertise.

In spring 2024, HUS initially classified several roles as specialist positions under the new system. However, in a 2025 reassessment, it downgraded many of these to lower-paying categories—either “demanding healthcare specialist” or “healthcare specialist” roles. The dispute centers on this reclassification, which Tehy argues breaches the sector’s collective agreement.

HUS also shifted part of employees’ task-based pay into temporary transition allowances, which it now plans to remove—a move Tehy warns could directly cut wages.

Tehy’s advocacy director, Jarkko Pehkonen, accused HUS of acting unilaterally and failing to implement mandatory 2024–2025 pay raises, calling the situation “tantamount to wage theft.” The union emphasizes that affected roles—such as independent nurse consultations and certain advanced healthcare tasks—still require specialized skills or additional training.

The labor court case will focus on nurses in these downgraded positions. HUS oversees specialized medical care across the Uusimaa region.