Stronger whistleblower law welcomed
by Mehak Dugal
 
The new bill amends the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and provides for a significant expansion of its personal scope to further include protections for volunteers, shareholders, board members and job applicants for the first time.
The new bill amends the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and provides for a significant expansion of its personal scope to further include protections for volunteers, shareholders, board members and job applicants for the first time.

Fórsa has welcomed improved whistleblower legislation, which extends exiting protections to include people who report breaches of European Union law.

 

The Protected Disclosures (Amendment) Act provides for a comprehensive overhaul of the statutory framework for the protection of whistleblowers in Ireland and for the transposition of an EU directive on protections for people who report breaches of EU law.

 

The new bill amends the Protected Disclosures Act 2014 and provides for a significant expansion of its personal scope to further include protections for volunteers, shareholders, board members and job applicants for the first time.

 

It also requires that private sector organisations with 50 or more employees will be required to establish formal channels and procedures for their employees to make protected disclosures, as is currently the case in the public sector. This will be monitored and enforced by the Workplace Relations Commission.

 

With enactment of the legislation, the new Office of the Protected Disclosures Commissioner will be established and will commence operations later this year.

 

The union said the passage of this law was a “significant step” towards improved protections for whistleblowers in Ireland and would encourage more people to come forward and expose wrongful activities in their organisations.

 

It’s never been more important – or easier – to get the protections and benefits of union membership. Join Fórsa HERE or contact us HERE.

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