Authors of new book want decision-makers to be made accountable for overly drastic economy measures

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City of Helsinki social welfare ombudsman Lilli Autti and City of Vantaa ombudsman for social and health affairs Miikkael Liukkonen would like negligence within the social security system to be brought under the criminal code.
     
According to Autti and Liukkonen the term “basic security offence” could be introduced. This would bring in a counter force to the continuous economy measures.
      “First and foremost this would be a question of a preventive deterrent, which would cause the decision-makers to consider whether they are approaching a legal line in their aspirations to cut costs. The citizens’ protection under the law cannot be compromised because of economic pressures”, said Liukkonen.
      He also pointed out that PM Matti Vanhanen’s (Centre) government also played the criminal code card during the Union of Health and Social Care Professionals labour dispute this time last year.
     
According to Liukkonen, parties deciding on the use of funds, such as municipalities and hospital districts, could be indicted. Already now for example board members are considered equal with civil servants when it comes to malfeasance.
      The “basic security offence” would not apply to individual basic level social workers.
      Autti and Liukkonen explained their views at the Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA) launch of a volume called Toinen vääryyskirja (“The Second Book of Wrongdoings”) in Helsinki on Monday.
      The KELA researchers Tuuli Hirvilammi and Markku Laatu, who edited the book, requested 16 articles about the grass-root level problems in social policy. In the writers’ view, for example unemployment security and the notion of work drag far behind today’s reality.
     
Work is still understood merely as employment- or entrepreneurial-based, even though temporary work is becoming more and more common and for example artists’ “bread” is scattered around the world.
      “School assistants, for one, do their actual work 9-10 months per year. With them the discontinuation of payment of wages is “agreed” for the summer months, in which case they will not receive protection against unemployment. And yet, these people are the very pupil care resources that are the talk of the day”, pointed out Tuire Santamäki-Vuori, chairwoman of the Trade Union for the Public and Welfare Sectors, in a direct reference to the debate raging on problems in Finnish schools.
      “Does good legislation matter at all, if workers cannot adhere to it, because there is no time or money?” asked special expert Päivi Mäkinen of the Union of Professional Social Workers (Talentia).
      “One can ask where the welfare state is. I do not think it exists any more”, snapped Riitta Toiviainen, and expert on social work with intoxicant abusers.


Links:
  Social Insurance Institution of Finland (KELA)

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