Fida’s organisational change negotiations concluded – staff impacts lower than expected

The change negotiations at Fida, a Finnish mission and development cooperation organisation, have concluded. As a result of the negotiations, 14 positions will be discontinued. Thanks to other cost-saving measures, the scale of staff reductions was significantly smaller than anticipated.

The negotiations, which began in November, ended on Monday 15 December. The adjustment measures will be implemented during December and January. The negotiations concerned all Fida staff – a total of around 200 employees in Finland and abroad. The outcome represents an improvement of approximately one million euros in Fida’s financial result.

Redundancies will mainly affect Fida’s retail chain and programme work. Of the discontinued positions, nine are in the Fida Secondhand Shops chain and five in Fida’s development cooperation and humanitarian assistance programme. The negotiations also resulted in decisions on temporary lay-offs and reduced working hours.

At the start of the negotiations, the estimated need for staff reductions was 25 people, in addition to temporary lay-offs and part-time arrangements.

– I would like to thank our staff for their active and constructive cooperation in a difficult situation. The additional savings we identified together significantly reduced the impact on personnel, says Fida’s Executive Director, Harri Hakola.

The background to the negotiations is a financial deficit that has accumulated in recent years. Fida’s finances have been weakened by rising general costs, declining results in the Fida Secondhand Shops chain, and a fall in major donations.

– These decisions have been difficult, but necessary to secure the long-term future of Fida’s work. The support of every donor and church is now more important than ever. I would like to express my sincere thanks to all Fida supporters, Hakola says.

Contacts;
Harri Hakola, Executive Director
harri.hakola@fida.fi 
040 831 0112