Finnish state-owned railway firm VR is starting change negotiations with employee representatives that could lead to the dismissal of up to 130 of the company's commuter train conductors, newspaper Helsingin Sanomat reported on Tuesday.
The paper said that an internal VR document it had seen said that the railway company has tentative plans to reduce the number of conductors while increasing security guard staff on local trains.
The new arrangement, which the negotiations deal with, is expected to be introduced in the summer of 2026 at the earliest, according to the newspaper.
The paper received confirmation from VR's commuter train chief Anu Punola about the contents of the internal document. She also confirmed that up to 130 commuter train conductors could be dismissed.
Punola said the company sent out an invitation for the negotiations on Tuesday, and that the negotiations will last at least six weeks.
According to Punola, VR currently employs around 150 commuter train conductors, 130 of whom work on routes in the capital region, the paper reported.
She said that customer assessments regarding safety aboard the company's commuter trains had weakened somewhat over the past few years. However, she underscored that VR's trains were still safe.
According to a VR press release issued on Tuesday, the railway firm and the Helsinki Regional Transport Authority (HSL) are working to improve passenger safety by increasing the number of security guards aboard local trains.
Doing so would require a reduction in the number of conductors, according to VR's press release.
VR is contracted to serve as HSL's local train services provider until 2031.
