Fear of retaliation keeps care workers from reporting problems

Social and healthcare workers are increasingly afraid to report problems at their workplaces because they fear retaliation, Yle reports. Although the law requires them to report shortcomings, some workers have received warnings or less desirable shifts after doing so.

Under the law, social and healthcare workers must report even a risk that a workplace problem could endanger, for example, patient safety. Employers are not allowed to punish workers for fulfilling this duty.

The Super union, which represents practical nurses, and Talentia, which represents university-educated social sector professionals, say fears of retaliation have clearly increased. Other unions, including Jyty and Tehy, say members sometimes ask whether reporting problems could lead to punishment, but they do not have a clear view of whether the problem has become more widespread.

In a Super survey conducted this year, 16 percent of respondents said they had failed to report a problem or suspected breach of the law. Fear of the consequences was the main reason.

Super chair Päivi Inberg said the union was receiving a growing number of enquiries from members worried about possible consequences. She said savings pressures in the sector and ongoing cooperation negotiations could be contributing to the fear.

Inberg said workers may worry that reporting a problem could cost them their job or prevent the extension of a fixed-term contract. Talentia special adviser Kristiina Ruuskanen said the union regularly hears from members whose fear of retaliation appears justified.

According to Ruuskanen, some union members have received warnings after reporting problems. She said the stated reason for a warning may be related to the reported problem or may be an entirely different reason that has been invented.

Super members have also reported that supervisors shouted at them, that they were assigned undesirable shifts or that their requests for time off were rejected. The reports have come from both regional health and social services authorities and private workplaces, Inberg said.

Workers can report problems anonymously through their employer’s self-monitoring system or to a supervisory authority. Most, however, report them under their own names. Inberg said employers can often work out who made an anonymous report.

Ruuskanen said reporting problems was important not only because it was a legal duty, but also for workers’ own legal protection. She said management at some workplaces suggested that issues could be resolved through discussion and should not be recorded or passed on.

The Association of Finnish Local and Regional Authorities’ employer organisation said it had no information on how widespread or justified workers’ concerns about retaliation were. Its chief negotiator, Jenni Aaltonen, said the concerns could partly be linked to the difficult financial situation of the regional authorities and the prevalence of cooperation negotiations.