Veikkaus Announces Negotiations for Possible Temporary Redundancies

Veikkaus revealed that it initiated discussions which may lead to temporary workforce redundancies. The government-owned betting agency was forced to close its venues in light of recent spikes of positive COVID-19 cases.

Veikkaus Warns of Temporary Workforce Redundancies

Finnish government-owned betting agency, Veikkaus, announced earlier this week that it has initiated negotiations concerning the function of points of sale. According to Veikkaus, the negotiations cover approximately 800 employees. The agency revealed that the negotiations may relate to possible temporary redundancies.

However, Veikkaus stressed that no permanent staff reductions are considered. If temporary layoffs are introduced they may affect either part-time or full-time employees. According to Veikkaus, if such temporary redundancies are introduced they may affect the employees for a period of up to 90 days.

In a statement, Veikkaus’ Director of Channels and Sales, Jari Heino, revealed that the health of the employees and customers is a top priority for the agency. He acknowledged that the COVID-19 pandemic has impacted both the industry and society. Furthermore, Heino stressed that Veikkaus follows the instruction of the Ministry of Social Affairs and Health.

In conclusion, he outlined that it is unknown when the gaming venues can reopen, thus it is important now that dialogue is conducted with the employee representatives so that the company can implement the best solution for its employees, customers, and partners.

COVID-19 Cases in Finland Continue to Grow

The latest announcement by the gambling monopoly comes after the Finnish government introduced new restrictions aiming at reducing the spread of COVID-19. As a part of those restrictions, last week, the gaming arcades and slot machines were shut down.

In light of the ongoing pandemic, the Finnish Ministry of Social Affairs and Health revealed that the ongoing trend with new positive COVID-19 cases and hospital admissions is “worrying”. Furthermore, the total number of positive COVID-19 cases in Finland has exceeded 27,500 patients and by now, there have been 415 people deceased with COVID-19.

With that in mind, the country has seen significant spikes of positive COVID-19 cases. In fact, the number of new positive average cases reported per day for the last 7 days until December 5 is 416. On the bright side, more than 18,000 patients have already recovered from the virus.