8/10/2019 Are German Lawmakers Finally Listening to the
Whistles
1/3
Are German Lawmakers Finally Listening to theWhistles?ByMark
Worthon 26 March 2012inEurope and Central Asia,European Union,eople
power,Whistle!lowing
The following was written by Mark Worth, Transparency
Internationals Whistleblower Programme
Coordinator, and Christian Humborg, Managing irector of
Transparency International !ermany"
"n a #ountry where whistle!lowers ha$e helped e%pose poor #are
in a nursing home, dio%in&laden
li$esto#k 'eed, inade(uate emergen#y ser$i#es in hospitals,
rotten meat, and madow disease,
one would think ) and #ertainly hope ) that people who #all
attention to su#h s#andals would !e
#ompletely prote#ted 'rom all types o' retaliation*
In Germany, they are not.
Looming o$er Germany are two international #ommitments that
#ompel the #ountry to a#t* "t has along road ahead i' it wants to
meet the G-20s deadlineto implement whistleblower protection
rules!y
the end o' +-+* Germany also has yet to #omply with the Council
of Europes Civil Law Convention
on Corruption*
http.//!log*transparen#y*org/+-+/-/-0/german&nurse&shows&need&'or&g+he#k&up/
As the de!ate o$er whistle!lower prote#tion #ontinues in
Germany, su#h laws are !e#oming more
#ommonpla#e in all regions the world* "n the past 'ew years
alone, new or strengthened
whistle!lower prote#tion legislation has !een appro$ed or
proposed in many #ountries, in#luding
Australia, Chile, "ndia, "reland, 1outh 2orea, 1wit3erland and
the U1*
Federal lawmakers ha$e dis#ussed strengthening prote#tion 'or
whistle!lowers on&and&o'' o$er
the past 'ew years* "n +0, the Christian 4emo#rats proposed
#ertain prote#tions 'or
whistle!lowers in the pri$ate se#tor, !ut the re'orm
stalled*
5n Mar#h 6, lawmakers took up the issue again at a hearingheld
!y the Bundestag7s Committee
'or La!our and 1o#ial A''airs* E%perts in$ited !y Germany7s 'i$e
main parliamentary 'a#tions
o''ered their opinions a!out whether the #ountry7s #urrent laws
ade(uately prote#t whistle!lowers
'rom 'iring, harassment and other types o' retaliation*
http://blog.transparency.org/author/mark-worth/http://blog.transparency.org/author/mark-worth/http://blog.transparency.org/category/region/europe-and-central-asia/http://blog.transparency.org/category/region/europe-and-central-asia/http://blog.transparency.org/category/region/europe-and-central-asia/http://blog.transparency.org/category/ti-eu/http://blog.transparency.org/category/ti-eu/http://blog.transparency.org/category/ti-eu/http://blog.transparency.org/category/people-power/http://blog.transparency.org/category/people-power/http://blog.transparency.org/category/people-power/http://blog.transparency.org/category/whistleblowing/http://blog.transparency.org/category/whistleblowing/http://blog.transparency.org/2012/03/26/2012/01/18/german-nurse-shows-need-for-g20-check-up/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/43/48972967.pdfhttp://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/html/174.htmhttp://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/html/174.htmhttp://blog.transparency.org/2012/01/18/german-nurse-shows-need-for-g20-check-up/http://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2012/37624772_kw09_pa_arbeit_soziales/index.htmlhttp://blog.transparency.org/category/region/europe-and-central-asia/http://blog.transparency.org/category/ti-eu/http://blog.transparency.org/category/people-power/http://blog.transparency.org/category/whistleblowing/http://blog.transparency.org/2012/03/26/2012/01/18/german-nurse-shows-need-for-g20-check-up/http://www.oecd.org/dataoecd/42/43/48972967.pdfhttp://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/html/174.htmhttp://conventions.coe.int/Treaty/en/Treaties/html/174.htmhttp://blog.transparency.org/2012/01/18/german-nurse-shows-need-for-g20-check-up/http://www.bundestag.de/dokumente/textarchiv/2012/37624772_kw09_pa_arbeit_soziales/index.htmlhttp://blog.transparency.org/author/mark-worth/
8/10/2019 Are German Lawmakers Finally Listening to the
Whistles
2/3
Guido 1tra#k is the 'ounder o' German non&pro'it
organisation Whistle!lower 8et3werk and a whistle!lower
himsel'* 9is #ase and others will !e shown in a photographi#
e%hi!ition o' the Whistle!lower 8et3werk in the European
arliament in Brussels, +:&+; Mar#h* hoto. etro$ Ahner
As they now stand, German laws prote#t pu!li# employees to some
e%tent, and employees o'
pri$ate #ompanies theoreti#ally ha$e #ertain, narrow prote#tions
i' they !low the whistle* But the
legal lands#ape is 'ar 'rom #omprehensi$e and 'ar 'rom #lear, as
se$eral o' the e%perts #on'irmed*
Among those on the oining 1tra#k was Cathy >ames, #hie'
e%e#uti$e o' the London&!ased whistle!lower organisation
#ublic Concern at Wor!*>ames said the group has !een
instrumental in helping people #ome
'orward under the U27s #ublic $nterest %isclosure &ct, one
o' the world7s premier whistle!lower
prote#tion laws*
Allaying German lawmakers7 #on#erns that a strong whistle!lower
law might lead employees to
immediately take their #on#erns to outside agen#ies !e'ore
trying to work them out with
management, >ames said ;6 per#ent o' #ases her group has
handled o$er the past - years were
handled internally*
hough the momentum is growing throughout the world to strengthen
whistle!lower prote#tion
laws, Germany7s !usiness esta!lishment seems to !e opposed to
making su!stanti$e re'orms*
Among them was @oland Wol' o' the Federal Union o' German
Employers7 Asso#iations B4A*
9e #alled a20'' ruling!y the European Court o' 9uman @ights,
whi#h 'ound that Germany
inter'ered with a nurses right to freedom of e"pressionwhen she
was 'ired 'rom a nursing home 'or
e%posing mistreatment o' elderly people,
