Uniarts Helsinki initiates change negotiations concerning the entire personnel, the aim is to avoid dismissals
The negotiations will continue at least until the end of May. The aim is to avoid dismissals and to utilise the natural reduction of workforce through retirements and by not filling positions that become vacant.
Uniarts Helsinki initiates financial and production-related change negotiations involving the entire university. The negotiations concern the entire personnel of Uniarts Helsinki: approximately 1,300 persons.
The reason for the change negotiations is the fact that Uniarts Helsinki’s expenses have been higher than its income for already two years now. According to the forecasts, the situation will persist also in the future: the university will record a deficit of approximately 3 million euros both in 2024 and 2025, despite the calculated over 2-million-euro withdrawals from investments in both years. The new funding model presented by the Ministry of Education and Culture is also likely to further undermine Uniarts Helsinki’s financial situation. On top of this, as the university operates in a rapidly changing operating environment, it needs to secure renewal and development, which requires the re-examination of its activities.
The Uniarts Helsinki Board decided to approve the university’s budgets in deficit for 2024–2027. The deficit may be covered by using, at most, 7.5 million euros of the university’s capital and return on capital. The decision makes it possible to carry out the required savings measures by the end 2028 by taking advantage of natural reduction of workforce through retirements and not filling positions that become vacant.
A need for a reduction of 55 person-years at most
According to the preliminary estimate, the university is aiming at savings of 2.5 million euros by the end of 2028.
The goal is to avoid dismissals. This will require the reorganising of job duties. There may also be such essential changes in the job duties of individual persons that require the termination of the current position and the offering of a new one.
The savings will affect both academic staff, i.e. teaching and research staff and hourly-paid teachers, and service personnel, i.e. specialist and service personnel. The calculated target for savings is the reduction of 55 person-years, and tentatively, 25 person-years concern the academic staff and 30 person-years concern the service personnel.
Due to part-time employment relationships, the target for savings, expressed in person-years, may concern more individuals. The need for reducing 30 person-years in service personnel may concern 55 persons at most. In addition to this, essential changes may be introduced to the job description of a maximum of 100 employees. As regards academic staff, the calculated need for reductions may concern a maximum of 240 persons, of whom 200 are hourly-paid teachers. In addition to this, essential changes may be introduced to the job description of a maximum of 50 employees in the total working system.