Protected disclosures

Under the Public Interest Disclosure Act 1998 workers have the right not to be victimised for blowing the whistle on employer malpractice. The Employment Appeal Tribunal says that new legal right also covers workers who complain about breaches of any legal obligations their employers have under their individual employment contracts.

In this case an employee complained about lack of adequate supervision amounting to a breach of the health and safety obligations which formed part of his contract with his employer. He was able to take an unfair dismissal claim by relying on the 1998 Act.

Parkins v Sodexho [2002] Industrial Relations Law Reports (IRLR)109