Dairy giant Valio has announced that the company initiated codetermination talks with employee unions on Tuesday, saying that it needs to reduce staff by 80 to 100 workers, all of whom work at the firm's headquarters in Helsinki.
The farmer-owned firm said the cuts are needed to improve competitiveness and profitability. The employer-employee negotiations are expected to last about six weeks.
However, Valio's processing plant workers are not affected by the looming job cuts, according to a press release issued Wednesday.
Valio is one of the country's biggest companies but began as a dairy farmers' cooperative in 1905 and currently employs about 4,000 people.
The firm produces and markets dairy goods like cheese, butter, yogurt and produces an estimated 85 percent of Finland's milk.