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February Newsletter
Sexual abuse and harassment in the workplace seem to be constantly in the news. This month the South Wales Fire Service has been found to have a culture of sexual harassment and misogyny and will now be taken over by the Welsh government. A damning independent review into the Service found it had an entrenched sexist and discriminatory culture with some frankly shocking examples of behaviours going unchecked and unchallenged. A similarly distressing report – Misogyny in Music - published by the Women and Equalities Committee documents misogynistic attitudes in the industry and how these are filtering through to society.
We know from our own Advice Line data that a significant proportion (18%) of the calls we received last year related to bullying, discrimination or sexual harassment. Many employers now understand that raising concerns about toxic workplaces in all their forms can be considered whistleblowing. Conversely, an
approach that insists on treating these only as grievances means an opportunity may be lost to deal with systemic problems, and organisational risks escalate.
It is good to see efforts in wider society to address harassment (examples include campaigns by Mayor of London, West Yorkshire and the British Transport Police). Our mission has always been to promote ethical standards of conduct in the workplace, and there needs to be a shared responsibility amongst employers to set standards, expectations and
address harassment when and where it happens.
We’re deeply concerned about the government’s recently opened consultation on re-introducing fees in the employment tribunals.” Back when fees were last introduced the number of employment tribunal claims dropped by 67% . Though the fees consulted on this time are set at much lower levels they will inevitably make it harder for people who have just been dismissed to seek justice.
We welcome the Private Members Bill brought forward by Wayne David MP to create a standalone anti-SLAPPs law which had its second reading last week. SLAPPs (aka ‘strategic litigation against public participation’) typically involve the use or the threat of expensive litigation to suppress those exercising freedom of speech – whistleblowers or journalists – in the public interest. The Bill introduces a mechanism to ensure such claims are dismissed early in the process.Good news to report - the international whistleblowing community had raised concerns over proposals by the Slovak government to weaken whistleblowing laws. Successful lobbying by the Whistleblowing International Network (Protect is a member) along with Transparency International Slovakia, and Stop Corruption Foundation led to the Slovak Government withdrawing its plans.
Finally, we’re delighted to announce our three core training courses: Whistleblowing Essentials, Investigating a Whistleblowing Concern and Preventing Whistleblower Victimisation have all been awarded “Continuing Professional Development” accreditation. CPD accreditation certifies that both the content and structure of the sessions have been independently assessed and approved for continuing personal and professional development purposes. This is a great endorsement of the quality of our training and our ongoing commitment to excellence across the board.
Elizabeth Gardiner, Chief Executive
Protect in the news
This month we shared analysis of our Advice Line calls from 2023 and were featured in the following publications:
More whistleblowers seeking help compared to last year.
In 2023, Protect significantly impacted the lives of thousands of whistleblowers by providing practical and legal advice on how to safely and effectively raise workplace concerns. The analysis of calls to our Advice Line showed a jump of 23% compared to 2023 – with 2 in 5 of callers (41%) telling us that their whistleblowing concern had been ignored by their employer.
The abuse of NDAs – a lesson for regulators
The largest bank in the United States – JP Morgan – has been fined $18 million for breaching whistleblower protection rules – one of the most significant penalties imposed by the American financial regulator. As concerns grow in the UK that wealthy corporations are abusing the law to silence their critics, the story offers a timely lead on what the UK could be doing better.
By attending our Whistleblowing Masterclasses, you will gain a comprehensive understanding of how to implement an effective whistleblowing setup within your organisation, ensuring a culture of transparency, accountability, and trust.
Book onto our upcoming training, Thursday 14 March 10am - 12pm.
“Protect really helped me at the beginning of my journey. They have a kind, professional, and friendly approach. I always felt reassured and protected. It helped to give me the confidence to move forward with whistleblowing.”
Amal* works for a charity providing wellbeing services to vulnerable adults. She called Protect following a serious incident where a service user had physically threatened her. Amal told us that she had raised concerns about the charity’s building not being safe and her requests for securing the premises and implementing additional safety measures for staff had been ignored.
Read on to find out how Amal's case developed...
*Name has been changed at request of the individual.
We are excited to be leading an Environmental Whistleblowing event organised by Legal Voices for the Future in partnership with the Grantham Research Institute on Climate Change & the Environment on 20 March.
This session will explore how whistleblowing can help save the planet and will draw on the work of our Environmental Whistleblowing Toolkit and real-world examples of successful whistleblowing disclosures.
Speakers include Johannes Stefansson, Fishrot Scandal Whistleblower, Josephine Moulds, Investigative Journalist, The Bureau of Investigative Journalism & Bob Matheson, Associate Solicitor, Leigh Day.
Registration is now open for online and in person tickets
