HaminaKotka Port plans to lay off 20 workers

HaminaKotka Port Ltd plans to lay off 20 employees after concluding change negotiations, Yle reports. The talks covered 22 workers, mainly those providing ship mooring and unmooring services.

The planned cuts would affect about one-third of the port company’s workforce. The company cited the end of Russian fertiliser shipments as a key reason. The shipments stopped after Russia increased customs duties on them eightfold in early summer.

Chief executive Eija Rossi said the company would try to offer some of the affected employees other roles. It plans to add five shift supervisor positions, which Rossi said would be offered primarily to workers facing redundancy.

The employer has two weeks to consider its decisions, and final dismissal notices have not yet been issued.

The JHL trade union has said the planned cuts are excessive and could create a safety risk. Its contract specialist, Jussi Päiviö, said the layoffs could lead to more subcontracting at the port, potentially bringing in people whose backgrounds could not be properly checked.