Workplace whistleblowers are to be better protected by law, the government has proposed. But a transparency group says the move does not go far enough.
This content was published on
2 minutes
SDA-ATS/ilj
The government wants a multi-level model: first those involved are to go to their employers, then the relevant authorities, such as the police. After this, the whistleblower should be allowed to go public if officials fail to act.
A previous bill was sent back by parliament in 2015 for being too complex.
The latest proposal aims to give clarity, as employees currently don’t know if they can denounce and to whom. Employers are also unclear about how to react, the government explained.
This leads to conflicts and illegal actions like going public straightaway, a statement released on Friday saidExternal link. It added that companies might also not report issues because they cannot foresee what the consequences will be.
A company can then try and sort out the problems itself and to set up a service for dealing with whistleblowing. Anonymous denouncements are permitted.
What counts as irregularities are violations of administrative and criminal law, other legal regulations and going against internal regulations.
Being fired
What the bill does not do is bolster the protection for employees whose jobs are terminated after they have blown the whistle.
This has been criticised by the non-governmental Transparency International Switzerland. While it welcomed the general tenor of the proposal, until it was accompanied by more protection from being fired, it would remain “a dead letter”, the organisation said in a statementExternal link. Transparency also found the conditions for reporting issues to the authorities and the public too restrictive.
The issue of whistleblower job protection has long divided lawmakers. It was first debated in 2008. For some, it is deemed superfluous; for others – on the left of the political spectrum – measures should go further and include the reintegration of the whistleblower into the workplace.
Scandals such as the Panama Papers and Cambridge Analytica were brought to light by whistleblowers. The European Union announcedExternal link a proposal to better protect whistleblowers in the spring of this year.
More
More
Swiss whistleblower alerts increase by a third
This content was published on
In 43% of the cases, the denunciations concerned federal government employees and the remaining 57% were directed against outsiders, announced the Federal Audit Office on Saturday, confirming articles in the weekly publications Schweiz am Wochenende and the Südostschweiz am Wochenende. According to the papers, the majority of alerts involved suspicions of corruption, irregularities in the…
This content was published on
A majority of Swiss citizens have open attitudes towards various infertility treatments, including even egg donation, which is currently prohibited.
Reports of Swiss cyber fraud almost doubled in six months
This content was published on
The head of the new Federal Office for Cybersecurity (FOC), Florian Schütz, has presented a new strategy after just over four months in office.
Ecological status of Swiss streams insufficient according to study
This content was published on
Pesticide use and obstructions of waterways have a particularly negative impact on sensitive organisms, completely absent in 70% of streams analysed.
Train line between Brig and Domodossola interrupted
This content was published on
One day after a derailment approximately 15 kilometres from the Swiss border, BLS is running buses for passengers between Preglia and Domodossola, in Italy.
Swiss football boss wants crackdown on individual hooligans
This content was published on
The head of the Swiss Football League says he prefers a harsher approach to individual hooligans rather than collective punishment measures affecting all fans.
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.
Read more
More
Whistle-blowing platform SwissLeaks opens for business
This content was published on
SwissLeaks should enable people who want to highlight abuses in business, politics and administration to file a report anonymously, say organisers.
Watchdog urges Switzerland to step up anti-bribery efforts
This content was published on
Switzerland is an active anti-bribery enforcer but still needs to do more, the anti-corruption group Transparency International says.
This content was published on
The whistleblowing platform announced on Thursday – available in German, French and Italian online at whistleblowing.admin.chExternal link – lets federal employees and taxpayers connect through a secure channel. “Its purpose: to exchange information anonymously, independently and securely between employees, suppliers, taxpayers and anyone who wants to improve the efficiency of the administration and fight fraud…
You can find an overview of ongoing debates with our journalists here . Please join us!
If you want to start a conversation about a topic raised in this article or want to report factual errors, email us at english@swissinfo.ch.