Vantaa ends staff talks but withholds layoff details

Vantaa has concluded nearly eight weeks of staff negotiations, but details of the outcome, including possible redundancies, will not be available until the city board considers the result on October 19, Yle reports.

The board’s meeting agenda is due to be published on October 15.

Jaakko Perttunen, chief shop steward for the Jyty trade union, described the negotiations as constructive but said the result was disappointing. He has submitted a formal dissenting opinion concerning redundancies and other measures affecting staff.

Perttunen urged city representatives to soften the impact on employees. He said further staff cuts could affect the level and quality of services provided to residents. He also warned that the strain on employees who remain could be felt in workplaces for a long time.

The city board decided in early August to begin negotiations, which started on August 18. The initial target was to reduce staff costs by up to 15 million euros. The preliminary estimate was that up to 200 employees could be made redundant, while up to 700 could face furloughs, part-time work or changes to their employment terms.

The talks initially covered the city’s roughly 8,500 employees. In practice, employees performing statutory duties in education and learning, numbering about 5,500, were protected from redundancies and furloughs.

Vantaa Mayor Pekka Timonen said in August that the negotiations were intended both to reorganise the city’s operations and structure and to balance its finances. He also cited the national reforms of employment and business services and social and healthcare services as having significantly affected Vantaa’s finances. High unemployment and a weak construction sector have also weighed on the city, whose finances have been strongly in deficit since 2024. Last year, Vantaa recorded the largest deficit of any Finnish municipality.