SOK Launches Change Negotiations Affecting 900 Employees
SOK, the Central Organization of Finnish Cooperative Societies, has announced the start of change negotiations that will impact approximately 900 employees. The negotiations, set to begin on 25 August, are part of a broader restructuring effort within the company’s grocery and consumer goods retail operations (Ilta-Sanomat).
According to SOK, the proposed changes could result in the discontinuation of up to 130 current job roles, with many other positions undergoing significant modifications. The company has also indicated plans to create around 60 new positions, which will be offered to employees whose roles may be eliminated (MTV Uutiset; Ilta-Sanomat).
In a press release, SOK’s CEO Hannu Krook stated that the restructuring aims to ensure the affordability of shopping baskets for customer-owners and to safeguard the company’s future cost competitiveness. "Our primary mission as a cooperative retail group is to serve our customer-owners and to ensure the affordability of shopping baskets and the safeguarding of our cost competitiveness in the future," Krook said (Yle).
The negotiations are expected to conclude in mid-September (MTV Uutiset). Further details on the specific roles and departments affected have not yet been disclosed.
