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Whistleblowing: need for change

11 October 2024 / Will Burrows
Issue: 8089 / Categories: Opinion , Employment , Disclosure , Regulatory
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Will Burrows on why better protection is needed for those who report wrongdoing

The Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 and its incorporation into the Employment Rights Act 1996 provides important protections for whistleblowers against detriment or dismissal. If the disclosure is in the public interest and meets the requirements, the employee is protected by law, and is able to claim unlimited compensation in an employment tribunal if they are dismissed.

The major challenges whistleblowing clients face usually come only after they have tried to do the right thing by raising serious concerns to their employer. Whistleblowers often have a regulatory duty to raise concerns but then find themselves subjected to retaliation for doing so. They often end up losing their career, and then the only path to justice is via the employment tribunal system.

Pressure on the system means large cases may take up to three years to conclude. During this time, the client may be unable to earn an income. Some end up losing their homes, having to move

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NEWS
Tech companies will be legally required to prevent material that encourages or assists serious self-harm appearing on their platforms, under Online Safety Act 2023 regulations due to come into force in the autumn
Commercial leasehold, the defence of insanity and ‘consent’ in the criminal law are among the next tranche of projects for the Law Commission
The Bar has a culture of ‘impunity’ and ‘collusive bystanding’ in which making a complaint is deemed career-ending due to a ‘cohort of untouchables’ at the top, Baroness Harriet Harman KC has found
Lawyers have broadly welcomed plans to electronically tag up to 22,000 more offenders, scrap most prison terms below a year and make prisoners ‘earn’ early release
David Lammy, Ellie Reeves and Baroness Levitt have taken up office at the Ministry of Justice, following the cabinet reshuffle
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