Finland's Ministry for Foreign Affairs on Wednesday dealt with allegations that the head of the Finnish Embassy in Ottawa, Canada had harassed employees at the diplomatic mission.
"The employer said that measures have been taken and that they are addressing the matter," said Kari Lehtonen, shop steward of UHVY, Finland's association for foreign affairs officials.
On Tuesday, Ilta-Sanomat reported that some staff members at the embassy in Canada claimed that Ambassador Jari Vilén had behaved in a disruptive and inappropriate manner.
According to the newspaper, embassy employees wrote a nine-page joint statement about Vilén's behaviour.
There were allegations that Vilén had touched a female employee in an unnecessary and surprising manner. The ambassador was also accused of making inappropriate comments about ethnic, religious and sexual minorities.
Vilén to IS: It's a surprise to me
Shop steward Lehtonen told Ilta-Sanomat that he believed that the allegations in the employees' statement were accurate.
"They didn't come out of thin air," Lehtonen told Yle, adding that he is concerned about the situation at the embassy. He characterised the case as very extensive.
"Having served at the foreign ministry myself for 46 years, this [matter] raised great concern," he told the paper, explaining he was concerned about the embassy's work environment.
Meanwhile, Vilén told Ilta-Sanomat that the allegations came as a surprise to him.
"These matters are a surprise and news for me," Vilén said, according to the paper.
However, Yle was unable to reach Vilén for comment about the allegations.
Vilén was appointed as the Head of Mission to the Embassy of Finland in Canada on 1 September 2023. He previously served as an ambassador in Hungary and Poland, according to the Embassy of Finland's website.
The longtime NCP politician has also served as minister of foreign trade and European affairs, chair of the Finnish Parliament's Grand Committee and as a Finnish representative to the European Convention.
More letters
The nine-page statement was anonymously signed by seven people, according to Ilta-Sanomat.
In addition to that statement, three other letters were filed with the ministry which were signed with full names.
Shop steward Lehtonen confirmed that the three letters dealt with similar harassment allegations.
Lehtonen said that he hoped the ministry would promptly intervene in the matter.
"There was a sense that [the ministry] would do something. But the employer has not yet revealed what those measures are," Lehtonen said.
Yle was unable to reach the state secretary or permanent state under-secretary for comment about how the ministry plans to investigate the allegations made about Vilén.
In 2016, Finland recalled its ambassador to Sweden over sexual harassment claims.
7.3: Added background information.
