16 Amendments of Terry REINTKE related to 2016/2224(INI)
Amendment 1 #
Draft opinion
Recital A
Recital A
A. whereas the role of whistle-blowers is to help inn both the public and private sector are key actors for transparency and the rule of law by reporting, remedying, deterring and preventing wrongdoing and corruption, thus contributing to the promotion of human rights, the rule of law, transparency and democratic accountability as well as workers' rights; whereas often whistle-blowers are employees bound by a working relationship and dependent on their salary as means of living income;
Amendment 14 #
Draft opinion
Recital C
Recital C
C. whereas recent mass leaks revealing corruption, such as the Panama Papers affair or the avoidance of rules on labour law leading in certain cases to precarious employment, confirm the importance of the role played by whistle- blowers in defending the public interest; whereas there is yet no sufficient protection or recognition of whistle- blowers in Europe;
Amendment 16 #
Draft opinion
Recital D
Recital D
D. whereas concerns have often been raised that whistle-blowers, but often also their family members and colleagues, face hostility, harassment and exclusion at their place of work frequently making it extremely difficult for them to find another employment, rather than being viewed positively;
Amendment 22 #
Draft opinion
Recital E
Recital E
E. whereas the only objective of whistle- blowing that matters should be the reporting of acts that represent a threat to the public interest or a breach of law or any other wrongdoing or misconduct;
Amendment 26 #
Draft opinion
Recital E a (new)
Recital E a (new)
Ea. whereas whistle-blowers should not bear the burden of proof and whistle- blowers disclosing inaccurate information in honest error should still be protected;
Amendment 29 #
Draft opinion
Recital F
Recital F
F. whereas some Member States already have laws that protect whistle- blowers, but others do not, which limits the protection of whistle-blowers across the EU and creates uneven protection across the Union as well as legal uncertainty;
Amendment 31 #
Draft opinion
Recital G
Recital G
G. whereas corruption is one of the most serious problems facing the world today, as it can hamper a state’s ability to deliver inclusive economic growth in various fieldsresult in governmental failure to protect the population, workers, the rule of law and the economy as well as a deterioration of public institutions and services, and thus lead to a loss of trust in democracy;
Amendment 41 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph -1 (new)
Paragraph -1 (new)
-1. whereas whistle-blowers are also of key importance to identify mistakes, challenges or problems within an organisation at an early stage; whereas if this practice is respected, there can be an organisational culture of learning from mistakes; whereas this has in some organisations and Member States led to support for reporting of mistakes and therefore to organisational change;
Amendment 43 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 1
Paragraph 1
1. Calls for action to change the public perception of whistle-blowers by highlighting their positive role as an early warning mechanism, and as a deterrent to prevent abuses and corruption ands well as an accountability mechanism to enable public scrutiny of state action;
Amendment 49 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2
Paragraph 2
2. Calls for measures to protect workers who detect and report wrongdoings in the field of unemploymenton the Commission to come out with a legislative proposal in order to create a horizontal protection for whistle- blowers at Union level; emphasises that alerts should not be limited to purely illegal activities but should also cover other forms of misconduct or wrongdoing;
Amendment 57 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 2 a (new)
Paragraph 2 a (new)
2a. Believes that Articles 151 and 153 (2) (b) TFEU provide a clear basis for EU legislative action to empower employees to report wrongdoing in a framework of legal certainty, to establish common minimum levels of protection for workers throughout the Union and to help to protect and defend the public interest in the EU and beyond, while also leaving a degree of freedom to the Member States to adapt this protection to their domestic legal systems whilst affording higher levels of protections should they wish;
Amendment 60 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 3
Paragraph 3
3. Points to the dangers of excluding whistle-blowing workers from career progression and of retaliation by colleagues at their workplace, and the dampening, threatening and long-term psychologically devastating effects this has on those who may come across wrongdoing; highlights therefore that the definition of "whistle- blower" should be applied to as many different types of workers as possible, including current and former employees as well as trainees, apprentices and others;
Amendment 69 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 4
Paragraph 4
4. Recalls the importance of devising instruments to sanction and ban any form of harassment or retaliation, whether this be active dismissal or passive measures such as the blocking of promotion; points out that the employer must demonstrate that any measures taken against a whistle-blower are completely unrelated to the information revealed; reminds that any action taken against colleagues or family members as a result of the disclosure of information should also be prohibited and sanctioned;
Amendment 81 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 5
Paragraph 5
5. Urges employers and the authorities to act on the information reported to them after this has beenincluding by ensuring that it is thoroughly verified, and toby swiftly addressing the shortcomings identified; emphasises that whistle-blowers should not bear the burden of proof;
Amendment 86 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 6
Paragraph 6
6. Recalls that proper Union legislation is needed; encourages Member Statesthe Commission to develop a legislative instruments thato protect those who report justified and proven breaches of conductbreaches of conduct or any other wrongdoing to public authorities;
Amendment 98 #
Draft opinion
Paragraph 8
Paragraph 8
8. Recalls that in the event of false accusations, those responsible should be held accountable; emphasises, however, that whistle-blowers disclosing inaccurate information in honest error should still be protected.