Ten nurses drop legal claims against Finnish well-being region

Ten internationally recruited nurses have withdrawn their legal claims against the North Savo well-being region in Finland, Yle reports.

The region confirmed that ten of the twelve nurses involved in the dispute have notified the district court they are dropping all claims and demands. Negotiations had previously shifted from litigation to settlement talks earlier this year.

Two cases remain unresolved, though the nurses’ lawyer, Jouni Lehtimäki, stated he no longer represents those individuals. Both parties in the settled cases expressed satisfaction with the outcome.

The nurses, recruited in late 2024 under an international hiring initiative, were terminated during their probationary period in June 2025. They had initially sought compensation, arguing their dismissals were unjust and discriminatory. Each demanded approximately €8,400—equivalent to three months’ salary, plus interest—and an additional €1,000 under Finland’s Equality Act.

The well-being region maintained that insufficient professional and language skills justified the terminations, as fluency is required for legal nursing practice in Finland.