The Helsinki Parish Association is dismissing or offering another job to 23 employees. Savings of almost five million euros are to be achieved by 2025.
Helsinki the parish union lays off or offers alternative work to its 23 employees. It has been decided to aim for savings of 4.8 million euros by 2025.
In May-June, collective bargaining negotiations, i.e. change negotiations, have taken place in the parish association. After that, there has been a break for the summer. The joint church council decided on austerity measures on Thursday.
The finances of the Lutheran Church, especially in Helsinki and elsewhere in the capital region, have been burdened by a loss of members for a long time. As a result, church tax revenues have decreased. Now the Helsinki Parish Association has decided on layoffs based on production and financial reasons.
Read more: Harsh consequences of the loss of church members: up to six churches are going to be closed in Helsinki
Of the common ones approximately 45 person-years of work are to be reduced from the services. In addition to the 23 employees who will be dismissed or transferred to other positions, 21 positions or positions will be left unfilled when people retire or when fixed-term employment contracts end.
The change negotiations concerned almost 500 employees. Initially, the number of personal work years to be deducted in the parish association was estimated to be up to 90.
“Layoffs and other staff reductions are the heaviest part of our savings program. They are still necessary in order for us to be able to secure future operating conditions. Abandoning non-essential and overlapping activities is a responsible use of tax revenue”, says the group director Juha Rintamäki in the bulletin of the parish association.
A quarter of the savings, or about 1.2 million euros, is made up of cheese-planing activities. Most of the cuts, i.e. 2.9 million euros, are to be implemented with structural and other solutions.
There are 20 Lutheran congregations in Helsinki, three of which are Swedish-speaking.
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