Central and Eastern Europe Update: The upcoming Whistle-blower Protection Act and why you should pay attention to it already today

You have probably already noticed the Directive adopted by the European Parliament and the Council of the EU in 2019, which protects the so-called whistle-blowers, i.e. people who report violations of the law in the workplace. This Directive has not yet been transposed into Czech law, but individuals can already claim the rights guaranteed by it. 

Protection is ensured specifically through notification portal the established by the Ministry of Justice. It serves as an alternative to the internal whistleblowing system, the launch of which will be mandatory for some employers in the future, and whistle-blowers can already raise their complaints using this portal. These will then be dealt with by the relevant persons and, if the complaint is proven to be justified and a violation of rights has indeed occured in the workplace, the employer will be subject to punitive measures, which can be quite significant in some cases.

It is therefore certainly worth considering whether the above-mentioned internal whistleblowing system shall not be set up now, as it would enable you to deal with possible misconduct within your company without the need for a public authority’s intervention.

By Konečná & Zacha law firm, Central Europe, a Transatlantic Law International Affiliated Firm.  

For further information or for any assistance please contact centraleurope@transatlanticlaw.com

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