0370 270 6000
Home arrow Insights & events arrow Resources arrow Blogs arrow Blowing the whistle in the public interest

Blowing the whistle in the public interest

24 June 2012

A number of provisions of the Enterprise and Regulatory Reform Act 2013 are in force tomorrow. This includes the requirement that a disclosure must be made “in the public interest” to protect a worker from detrimental treatment. This will narrow down the scope for employees to bring whistleblowing claims as an alternative to unfair dismissal.

Previously, as long as the information disclosed tended to show that one of the protected categories had taken place (for example a criminal offence, or danger to health and safety), the worker would gain protection.

The change means that it is unlikely that a worker who blows the whistle about breaches of their own employment contract will be protected. There will undoubtedly be arguments over what “in the public interest” means. For example, does a worker who discloses to their manager that they are being discriminated against, and fear others are too, believe there to be a public interest in disclosing this information?

Related opinions

Long covid and whether this amounts to a disability

The recent Employment Tribunal decision in Mr T Burke v Turning Point Scotland, Case no.4112457/2021 found that long-Covid amounts to a disability.

View blog

Homes England partners with local authorities to boost the levelling up agenda

Homes England, the government’s housing accelerator, has partnered with two local authorities, Greater Manchester Combined Authority and the Association of South Essex Local Authorities, in a new Strategic Place Partnership (SPP) which is designed to align with the government’s levelling up agenda by delivering new homes in the regions.

View blog

Bill to establish an “Office of the Whistleblower”

Baroness Kramer has now introduced the Protection of Whistleblowing Bill as a Private Members’ Bill, starting in the House of Lords.

View blog

New mothers suffer a cumulative loss of income of £66,434 over the following decade

Independent think-tank, the Social Market Foundation (“SMF”), has launched a cross-party parliamentary commission on childcare and its implications for mothers.

View blog

View all blogs

Mailing list sign up

Select which mailings you would like to receive from us.

Sign up

Quick links

Information

  1. ISO 27001 INFORMATION SECURITY MANAGEMENT UKAS
  2. Investors in people
  3. Lexcel
  5. Plain English Campaign Approved

© Copyright Browne Jacobson LLP 2022 - All rights reserved