IMPACT has published a guide to the 2014 Protected Disclosures Act, which introduced strong new protections for workplace whistleblowers this summer. The ‘frequently-asked questions’ style document is on the union’s website.

The new legislation has been warmly welcomed by IMPACT and other unions as the successful culmination of a long trade union campaign. The Act provides a framework of protections for people who are victimised, or threatened with victimisation, for revealing wrongdoing in the workplace.

But workers have to meet the criteria set out in the Act to ensure they are protected. The new IMPACT FAQ, which was produced by the union’s Communications Unit, outlines what that means in layperson’s language. The guide covers the following aspects of the new law:

• Who’s covered by the protections
• What wrongdoings are covered by the law
• How to make a disclosure
• Criteria for making external disclosures
• How to get advice before making a disclosure
• The required burden of proof of wrongdoing
• Details of the protections in the Act
• Confidentiality
• The status of existing legal obligations to disclose wrongdoing.