On 30 January 2024, Valio will start change negotiations that affect Valio’s Finnish headquarters functions, technical services, maintenance and factory services. A total of 1,170 people are within the scope of the negotiations.
The change negotiations will deal with potential dismissals of employment and material changes to the terms and conditions of employment, such as changes in job descriptions or in the content of the job duties. Potential headcount reductions will affect up to 130 people, and the planned material changes to the terms and conditions of employment will affect up to 135 people. Valio employs about 4,300 people, 3,700 of them work in Finland.
The grounds for the negotiations are production and economic reasons and the resulting operational restructuring.
The general global economic situation is currently weak and this is also reflected in Valio’s business operations.
“The operating environment has been very challenging for us for a long time. There are several factors behind the change negotiations: the increase in Valio’s own operating expenses, weakening demand for consumer products and fall in global prices of industrial products. All of these factors have challenged our profitability. Unfortunately, for these reasons, we are forced to initiate change negotiations,” says Marianne Tammela, Executive Vice President, People, Strategy and Innovations function.
Valio is owned by about 3,400 dairy farms through cooperatives, and Valio pays its operating profits to the farmers.
“Through profitable business operations, we ensure the vitality of our owners, i.e. the dairy farms, and we secure the continuity of Finnish food production. That enable us in the long run to also create jobs and livelihoods around Finland,” notes Tammela.
The change negotiations are expected to take six weeks.
