https://ru.wikipedia.org/wiki/Свисток
Public-sector
whistleblowers 'are still seen as snitches', admits Civil Service boss Sir
Jeremy Heywood
Staff who expose
malpractice are treated appallingly, admits the Cabinet Secretary
Public sector
whistleblowers are still seen as “disloyal snitches” who get “the treatment
they deserve” if they are hounded out of their jobs, Britain’s most senior
civil servant has warned.
Sir
Jeremy Heywood, the Cabinet Secretary, said the “appalling treatment” suffered
by some Government workers who exposed malpractice had compounded the scandals
they uncovered.
And he warned that in
future senior civil servants would be personally “held to account” for how
whistleblowing cases were dealt with in their departments.
In addition, all
Government severance contracts will have to make clear that confidentiality
clauses cannot “seek to stifle or discourage employees from raising concerns”
about wrongdoing or poor practice. “Any attempt to ‘gag’ someone or buy their
silence will not be tolerated,” Sir Jeremy wrote in a blog posting to civil
servants.
Announcing the
changes, Sir Jeremy – who recently took on a new role as head of the civil
service – said: “A playground morality persists in some quarters, seeing
whistleblowers as snitches, renegades, somehow disloyal, who get the treatment
they deserve.
“The Civil Service is
committed to openness and transparency. Transparency means not being able to
pick and choose what is visible to scrutiny. It should shine a light into every
corner of public life and public service. We fatally compromise this principle
if we allow uncomfortable truths to be hidden or covered up.”
Mr Heywood said the
Government was accepting all but one of the recommendations made by MPs on the
Public Accounts Committee to tighten whistleblowing policy.
The PAC found
widespread concern among civil servants that they would be victimised if they
spoke out about wrongdoing. It revealed that only 52 per cent of Ministry of
Defence staff who had been concerned about serious wrongdoing within the past
two years had raised their concerns, and only 40 per cent thought that they
would not suffer reprisals if they did so. In the Department of Health, only 54
per cent of employees said they would feel confident in speaking up.
Sir Jeremy said that
in future “no one should be exposed to personal and professional risk for doing
what is in the public interest”. “From January, there will be a requirement for
departments to provide protection and support to whistleblowers, such as access
to legal and counselling services, and to monitor their welfare,” he wrote.
“There will be clear
timescales for reporting to whistle-blowers how their complaints are
progressing; and employees, at whatever level of the organisation, found to
have victimised whistleblowers will be subject to swift and appropriate
sanctions.
“As head of the Civil
Service I take the question of whistleblowing extremely seriously, and will
play a leading role in ensuring that departments follow the new guidance to the
letter.”
Sir Jeremy’s admission
and pledge to tackle the problems were welcomed by the charity Public Concern
at Work, which campaigns on behalf of whistleblowers.
“This is light at the
end of the tunnel stuff,” said Cathy James, the organisation’s chief executive.
“At last someone senior in the Civil Service appears to be taking
responsibility. But the key is ensuring not just that the right policy is in
place – but that policy is being followed.”
No comments:
Post a Comment