Pohde to launch large-scale redundancy talks affecting 18,000 staff

North Ostrobothnia’s Pohde welfare region will begin redundancy negotiations on 22 June, targeting a €30 million reduction in personnel costs, Yle reports.

The talks will cover all 18,000 employees, with cuts primarily affecting managers, supervisors, and specialists rather than frontline healthcare workers.

Kristiina Riekki, chief shop steward for the social, health, and education union Tehy in Pohde, said staff are “shocked” by the announcement. She noted that cost-cutting and austerity measures have been ongoing for years, and the latest round will further strain an already overburdened workforce.

Pohde has already implemented measures this year, including a hiring freeze, restrictions on temporary staff, and reductions in overtime and working-hour costs. Riekki warned these steps risk driving skilled workers away, increasing workloads for permanent staff, and blocking new graduates from entering the field.

She added that the region’s ability to deliver even legally mandated services will deteriorate, and that sickness absences may rise as a result.

Mirja Vehkaperä, chair of Pohde’s regional board, confirmed that frontline social and healthcare staff may be spared, with reductions focused on management, specialist roles, and administrative support. Riekki stressed that specialist work remains essential to the region’s operations and development.

State funding for Pohde is set to rise by just 1.6% next year, below the expected increase in wage and procurement costs. Riekki argued that adequate state funding would be the best alternative to cuts, calling the current direction “a raw deal for the entire social and healthcare sector.”