Rauma mental health group paid compensation after firing worker

A mental health association in Rauma paid several months’ salary in compensation to a worker it dismissed, Yle reports. The West Coast Mental Health Association is a local branch of the national Mieli association, which works in mental health.

The worker was dismissed early last year for financial and production-related reasons. Before the dismissal, the worker had reported becoming overburdened because of work-related issues attributed to the employer, and had taken sick leave and gone on a partial disability pension. The worker said the strain stemmed from a poor workplace atmosphere and inappropriate conduct by a supervisor.

The supervisor was the association’s executive director, Heidi Hiljanen, who is a Social Democratic city councillor and chair of the Rauma City Board. Hiljanen referred questions to association board chair Elisa Vahteristo, who declined to comment on an individual employee’s case. Vahteristo said the association aims to foster a good working environment and that its board addresses problems brought to its attention.

An occupational safety inspection by the Regional State Administrative Agency for Southwestern Finland in June last year found that the association had not investigated the causes of the worker’s workload as required by law. The inspector also noted that the employer hired a new part-time worker soon after the dismissal and concluded that it had not complied with the Employment Contracts Act because it did not offer the part-time work to the dismissed employee.

The dispute has not gone to court. The association paid the worker compensation equivalent to several months’ salary early this year. Such compensation agreements are sometimes made when an employer and employee disagree about whether a dismissal was lawful and the employer wants to avoid court proceedings. Typically, neither side admits that the other’s claims are correct.

The association has received more than 220,000 euros in government funding through STEA over several years. Yle reviewed occupational safety documents and the Tax Administration’s income register. It has not named the worker because the report concerns health information.