Mieli Mental Health Finland has cut 13 jobs after completing redundancy talks linked to reductions in government funding for social and healthcare organisations.
The organisation announced the talks last month, saying that up to 20 jobs could be affected. After the negotiations, 13 employees will lose their jobs.
Mieli said the cuts were caused by steep and rapid reductions in state funding for organisations working in social and healthcare services. The lower funding has forced the organisation to reduce its activities and find savings.
The impact goes beyond the 13 redundancies. Four employees will have their working hours reduced, while four positions will not be filled after employees leave because of retirement or other reasons. The duties of another five employees will also change significantly.
In total, 21 positions will be affected. Mieli currently employs about 160 people.
The organisation said the savings will affect units that work to promote mental health and prevent problems before they become more serious. These services include low-threshold support, which allows people to seek help without going through a complicated process.
Demand for Mieli’s services has remained high. Its crisis helpline received more than 110,000 calls last year, the highest number in the service’s history.
Mieli Executive Director Sari Aalto-Matturi said the decisions were difficult but necessary because of the organisation’s funding situation.
The government announced changes to funding for social and healthcare NGOs last spring. The reductions have since put pressure on organisations that rely on state support to provide services and preventive work.
For Mieli, the job cuts mean fewer staff and changes to how some of its mental health services are organised, even as demand for support remains high.
