Leading anti-corruption and whistleblowing organisations call for a legal duty to investigate whistleblowing

Six of the UK’s leading whistleblowing and anti-corruption organisations are supporting Protect’s amendment to the Employment Rights Bill 2024, to put employers under a legal duty to investigate whistleblowing concerns.

The undersigned are experts in the field with a deep understanding of what happens when whistleblowers are ignored, gained through research, policy shaping and first-hand contact with those impacted when whistleblowers are ignored.

There is currently no legal obligation on employers to investigate whistleblowing concerns, or even to have whistleblowing arrangements. Evidence from our Whistleblowing Advice Line consistently shows that 40% of whistleblowers are ignored by their employers when they raise issues in the workplace.

This letter of support follows a rallying call made by three Former Ministers – Baroness Margaret Hodge, Michael Carmichael and Sir Robert Buckland. They argued that introducing a duty to investigate on employers would help to change the culture in many workplaces and make sure risks and problems are identified early. They also presented the case that the amendment will support good business practice and contribute to economic growth.

With the government pledging to make a historic impact on employment rights, it is time that they heed demands to bring forth a legal duty on employers to investigate whistleblowing reports. The Bill is the first time in almost 30 years that a government has a genuine opportunity to protect whistleblowers and we believe minister must embrace it wholeheartedly.

Organisations' letter of support

We the undersigned support Protect’s amendment to create a new legal duty for all major employers to investigate whistleblowing concerns.

The duty would only affect those employers with the resources to handle the duty, such as those with 50+ employees or an annual business turnover of £10 million plus, ensuring small businesses are not burdened.

Whistleblowers are the ears and eyes of any well-run organisation and crucial for rooting out fraud and corruption. A 2024 report by the Association of Certified Fraud Examiners found that 43% of fraud cases were uncovered by tips, over half of which were made by employees. This was nearly three times as many cases as the next most common detection method. Yet UK law does not require employers to investigate concerns. In 2024, 40% of callers to Protect’s Advice Line reported being ignored, their concerns disappearing into a black hole.

Whistleblowing has been the common thread linking the recent public inquiries into Infected Blood, Grenfell and the Post Office Scandal. In each case, whistleblowers were ignored and devastating consequences ensued. Protect’s recent Cost of Whistleblowing Failures report found that ignoring whistleblowers in cases like Carillion, Lucy Letby and the Post Office cost the public purse £426,338,460.

As the UK’s leading anti-corruption organisations, we support the call for a new legal duty for all major employers to investigate whistleblowing concerns. The EU, Japan and the United Arab Emirates enforce whistleblowing systems, and Britain must follow suit.

This Government pledges to make a historic impact on employment rights. It is time they heeded the demands to bring forth this legal duty, which will be good for workers, good for business and good for growth.

Yours sincerely,

The UK Anti-Corruption Coalition

Whistleblowing International Network

Transparency International UK

Spotlight on Corruption

Parrhesia

Professor Robert Barrington from the Centre for the Study of Corruption at the University of Sussex.