Rovaniemi court rules Jaakko Rantsi’s resignation invalid amid legal dispute

Jaakko Rantsi’s resignation as Rovaniemi’s Director of Economic Development has become the subject of a legal dispute. According to the city of Rovaniemi, Rantsi initially resigned from his position in May 2022 but retracted his resignation five days later. The city did not accept this retraction, leading Rantsi to file a complaint with the Administrative Court.

The Northern Finland Administrative Court has now ruled that Rovaniemi’s decision to reject the retraction was invalid, as the court found that the resignation had effectively never occurred. Rantsi began his role in the fall of 2021, shortly after which he encountered disagreements with the city, particularly concerning remote work arrangements. An agreement was established for three in-office days per week in Rovaniemi, although Rantsi resides in the Oulu region with his family.

Tensions escalated, and Rantsi mentioned previously that he was pressured regarding potential disciplinary actions which were to be made public. Following this, Rantsi took a study leave. The city stated that there were ongoing discussions regarding potentially issuing a warning to Rantsi.

The court clarified that an employee has the right to resign following proper notice, with the resignation taking effect once the employer is informed. However, a retraction cannot be binding unless it is communicated to the relevant authority, which in this case was the city council, who only addressed the resignation notice in August, long after Rantsi’s retraction in May.

Thus, the court deemed the city council’s decisions regarding the resignation as unlawful since the resignation itself effectively did not take place. Rantsi has reportedly filed a police complaint against Rovaniemi’s administrative director and the mayor concerning alleged abuses of power and breaches of duty, which he claims were submitted last December.