NGOs from around the world have come together to urge the UK Government to strengthen its whistleblowing framework. In an open letter to the Secretary of State for Business and Trade, we call for the adoption of Clause 29 of the Employment Rights Bill – an amendment that would place a legal duty on employers to investigate concerns raised by staff and extend protections against unfair dismissal.
Whistleblowers are often the first to detect fraud, corruption, and safety failures. Protecting them is not only a moral obligation but an economic necessity. Early intervention saves money, lives and reputations. After decades of “lessons learned” but not acted upon, this government must ensure that the UK once again leads the way in whistleblowing protection.
In the UK, financial regulators regularly benefit when whistleblowers pass on information but they rarely step in to protect individuals if their employer penalizes them for speaking up. With the Serious Fraud Office and HMRC now planning to introduce US-style whistleblower reward schemes to compensate people who report corporate crime within their own organisation, for Financial Regulation International’s whistleblowing special issue, we explored what lessons could be learnt from across the pond.
The Icelandic artist ODEE has lost his request to appeal against the fishing company Samherji regarding intellectual property infringement, malicious falsehood and passing off. This is a very disappointing ruling that continues to illustrate the power of big business to squash criticism and debate.
After months of relentless campaigning and lobbying across Parliament this month we struck gold in the House of Lords when peers voted through one of our amendments to the Employment Rights Bill. Tabled by Baroness Kramer, the addition to the Bill pushes the Government to broaden unfair dismissal grounds and force employers, of a certain size and turnover, to take reasonable steps to investigate when whistleblowers speak up.
The House of Lords has voted to introduce a new duty to investigate whistleblowing concerns placing an obligation on employers to act when whistleblowers speak up. This would mean organisations with more than 50 staff, or a turnover of more than £10 million, will have to investigate the whistleblowing concerns that are brought to them.
Ever since the #Metoo movement began in 2017, non-disclosure agreements (NDAs) have been exposed as tools to silence victims of harassment and bullying. Now following years of campaigning an amendment has been introduced to the Employment Rights Bill to block employers from using such agreements. The detail is yet to be mapped out, as well as a timeline for implementation, but while there has been a resounding chorus of approval, some have voiced concerns that the ban could result in some unintended consequences. So, what does this really mean for both sides of the table?
A report into the behaviour of BBC Masterchef presenter Gregg Wallace has substantiated 45 allegations made against him. The report’s findings raise a number of questions regarding how allegations had been handled in the past – by both the BBC and the production company Banijay UK – and the inadequate whistleblowing systems and processes for raising complaints and concerns.The BBC has accepted that opportunities were missed to address poor behaviour – so what can others learn from this case?
The National Guardian’s Office – the home of Freedom to Speak Up guardians (FTSU) and the champion for openness and transparency within the NHS – is to close and merge within the workings of NHS England. It was created just over 9 years ago following the recommendations from Sir Robert Francis KC’s “Freedom to Speak Up” review. With a number of changes coming for the health sector, whistleblowing and ensuring staff are confident to speak up is more important than ever. So what’s next for speaking up in the NHS?
A Westminster Hall debate on the Contributions of Whistleblowers, held to mark World Whistleblowers Day, brought together key parliamentarians with strong opinions and perspectives on how the law and whistleblowing needs to be modernised. From exposing the lack of legal protections for self-employed people to pushing for a legal duty on employers to investigate matters that are raised by whistleblowers, the session included strong arguments that the whistleblowing legal framework is not working well enough, with the government minister Justin Madders, conceding the case for change.
