News

Protect is disappointed that the Government’s new legislative program fails to address the weaknesses in whistleblowing protection with the absence of an Employment Bill.  The UK has fallen behind international best practice and it is time to “level up” legal protections for whistleblowers. However, we welcome the introduction of the second Economic Crime Bill as … Read more

It is widely acknowledged that reform to the UK’s whistleblowing law, the Public Interest Disclosure Act (PIDA 1998) is long overdue. PIDA has been the blueprint for much of the world’s whistleblowing legislation, but almost 25 years later, urgent reform is needed to reflect the modern workplace and keep pace with international best practice. Protect ... Read more

On Sunday 24 April 2022, it was revealed that a Northern Irish whistleblower, Dr Tamara Bronckaers, has been paid £1.25 million in compensation by the Department of Agriculture, Environment and Rural Affairs (DAERA). Believed to be one of the biggest whistleblower settlements in Northern Irish history the agreement follows a long and exhausting fight for ... Read more

Protect's Business Support Executive, Grace Wilkin, will be running the Copenhagen Marathon on 15 May 2022 to raise money for our work protecting whistleblowers. Grace said "I wanted to do this to support Protect because I believe that employees have the right to be listened to at work, without fear of repercussions, so that concerns ... Read more

It was announced yesterday that the Prime Minister and Chancellor will both be fined for breaking the law by attending a Downing Street party during COVID-19 lockdown. At Protect we are stunned by these events. We rightly expect our political leaders to follow the laws they pass and abide by the rule of law.   The fact ... Read more

We have developed a new guide in response to queries from employers about how they should respond to the victimisation of whistleblowers, or, better yet, prevent it from happening in the first place.  “Preventing Whistleblowing Victimisation: A practical guide for employers” sets out insightful advice for employers of all sizes and across all sectors on how to prevent retaliation against whistleblowers in their organisations. It ... Read more

We are shocked and saddened at what the Ockenden Rreview has uncovered at Shrewsbury and Telford NHS Trust.   The review found hundreds of avoidable deaths within the trust’s maternity services after analysing the experiences of 1500 families between 2000 and 2019. Some families lost more than one child in separate incidents.     It also revealed a ... Read more

Protect's Head of Policy, Andrew Pepper-Parsons, was interviewed by BBC Shropshire about the shocking findings of the Ockenden Review into NHS Shrewsbury and Telford. He detailed the scale of abuse of whistleblowers in the UK and how this can have horrendous impacts on public safety and workplace conditions. He also discussed what needs to change ... Read more

Our 2021 Impact Report shows a rise in harassment  - bullying, sexual harassment and discrimination - has jumped from 8% of our total Advice Line cases in 2020 to 14% in 2021. Head of Advocacy and Advice, Bob Matheson said, “Year on year we are seeing a rise in harassment cases and since 2017 there ... Read more