What is Whistle Blowing?
Whistle blowing is a colloquial term for disclosing wrong-doing in your organisation. The law protects workers from being retaliated against by their employer if they make a ‘protected’ disclosure. The Public Interest Disclosure Act sets out the circumstances in which a disclosure of wrong-doing or malpractice will be protected. The worker must have a reasonable belief that there is some malpractice and the disclosure be made in good faith. Examples of the type of malpractice which is covered by the Act include: • criminal offences • non-compliance with the law • miscarriage of justice • danger to health and safety • environmental damage. The law gives workers the right not to be subject to any detriment for disclosing information in the public interest (if this is done in the proper way). Normally a disclosure should first be made internally, to the employer. If your employer has a whistle blowing policy or confidential reporting policy, use this to report your concerns. If you feel t
