Making whistleblowing work in Scotland, Public Concern at Work opens Scottish office - with a new Scottish helpline number


Embargoed: 11am Thursday 7 February 2002

Staff who want to blow the whistle on dangerous malpractice at work should find it easier to put things right without jeopardising their jobs, thanks to a new initiative launched today. The Scottish office of the whistleblower charity Public Concern at Work is opening in Glasgow with a new confidential helpline to help whistleblowers raise their concerns without being victimised. The Scottish office will also provide guidance and support to employers on how to develop a safe and open culture in the workplace. At the launch, Scotland Office Minister George Foulkes welcomed the development.

The charity’s Scottish Director, Lynne MacMillan said,

“The establishment of the Scottish office of Public Concern at Work, and a new Scottish helpline number, will help to deliver a change of culture in workplaces here. We want to ensure that there is an alternative to silence for those who witness malpractice at work, and an end to the cycle of inaction and inertia that can lead to disaster.”

Public Concern at Work exists to encourage a positive approach to whistleblowing, and was instrumental in the enactment of the Public Interest Disclosure Act which provides protection to genuine whistleblowers. The charity also provides guidance and support to organisations on how to develop a safe and open culture in the workplace. Public Concern at Work has worked with many high street companies, in the public sector, and particularly in the NHS in England and Wales. Public Concern at Work’s UK helpline has handled around 7,000 calls since established nine years ago, around half of them about a potential or actual whistleblowing concern.

Scottish Director Lynne MacMillan said:
“Public inquiries into major disasters and scandals like the Piper Alpha explosion and Robert Maxwell’s theft of pension funds have shown that employees had often known of the dangers before the damage was done. But the alarm too often was not raised, either because they were afraid to speak up for fear of victimisation, they spoke to the wrong people, or they raised the matter only to find their concerns ignored.”

“The importance of the new approach to whistleblowing has been fully endorsed by Audit Scotland which is helping to fund the Scottish helpline. I am grateful to the Minister, George Foulkes for his presence here today, and his support of this initiative. The presence of Public Concern at Work in Scotland, and the Scottish helpline number, will make sure that the help that we give to people in Scotland is finely tuned to meet their needs.”

Harry Templeton, who blew the whistle on Robert Maxwell’s abuse of workers’ pension funds and member of the charity’s Scottish Advisory Committee, said:
“I know from bitter experience how frustrated and isolated you can be when in a whistleblowing situation. I hope that Public Concern at Work’s Scottish Office will not only help whistleblowers like me but will also prevent the damage and distress caused to innocent people as a result of frauds like the one brought about by Robert Maxwell.”

Maurice Frankel, Deputy Chair of the Board of Public Concern at Work said,
“We are delighted to be opening this office in Scotland. Many potential whistleblowers still bite their tongues, fearing they will be victimised for raising concerns. Recent legislation gives them significant protection, provided they go about things the right way. But most people still don’t know this. It is vital that they should, not just for the individual worker but because the public’s safety may depend on the conscientious employee speaking up.”

Notes

  1. George Foulkes, Minister of State at the Scotland Office, will today attend the launch of and check out the technology for the new confidential whistleblowing helpline for workers set up in Scotland by Public Concern at Work.
  2. Public Concern at Work was established in 1993, and is the “leading organisation in this field”, according to the Nolan Committee on Standards in Public Life. It was at the forefront of the Public Interest Disclosure Act and has over eight years experience in assisting organisations in introducing effective whistleblowing policies.
  3. After a successful pilot when there was widespread support for an initiative to drive forward public interest whistleblowing in Scotland, Public Concern at Work has been awarded a Community Fund grant for two years to cover the salary costs of the Scottish Director.
  4. The Scottish helpline, which the Minister will launch, is part funded by Audit Scotland.
  5. Public Concern at Work is publishing a leaflet on 7 February for distribution throughout Scotland.

The charity provides:

  • free confidential advice to employees concerned about serious malpractice
  • advice and assistance to organisations with risk management
  • encouragement for responsible and effective whistleblowing throughout the whole community, and
  • guidance to governments and others on public policy relating to whistleblowing.