A top whistleblowing group is facing criticism today after its boss said her top tip was to “get a new job” before blowing the whistle and the charity allegedly offered guidance that left people unprotected by the law.
Protect, which offers legal guidance and advice to whistleblowers, has been slammed by whistleblowers for failing to protect workers when they sound the alarm on their employers.
Speaking at an industry conference in February, chief of Protect Liz Gardiner told attendees that her “top tip” to would-be whistleblowers was “to get a new job before blowing the whistle”, a source at the event told City A.M.
Whistleblowers “deserve better” and the UK needed to “normalise whistleblowing which is right and important for society”, the source added.
The comments raise questions over the safety of whistleblowers and point to potential gaps in the national whistleblowing system, in which protection from retribution is enshrined in the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998, the laws governing whistleblowing.
Protect’s director of policy and communications told City A.M. in an email that “from time to time it may be in the best interest of a whistleblower – if they have experienced or have good reason to fear victimisation – to find a new job before they raise their concerns” and that it will “depend on the nature of the concerns and their individual circumstances”.
“It is not something we advocate for – we set out the options that the whistleblower has,” he added.
Protect...
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