Edinburgh Sucks! | Council whistleblowing is bad for your purse

Alistar Frater

Council whistleblowing is bad for your purse

By The Basa ⋅ March 10, 2006 ⋅

A point that is screamingly obvious is in a letter I sent to the Edinburgh Evening News which they did not publish…

“The award of £5000 was rather insulting to a man who spent three times more than this on legal fee’s trying to defend his good name and fighting to keep his job. Why didn’t the council offer to cover his costs once his allegations were proved to be true. After all they tried to persuade him not to continue with his tribunal with a pay-off more than double the settlement he finally received. Thank goodness Mr Travers declined the bribe and fought to clear his name. Is it any wonder that employees are scared to raise issues against an employer when they see the way Mr Travers was rounded upon by his bosses? Why is it that a council can be allowed to sanction the waste of public money yet victimise its own workers for pointing out when financial irregularities occur in its organisation. The council are supposed to have a whistle-blowing policy to protect its employees from the kind of victimisation Mr Travers experienced.

Because of its actions the city council have sent out a clear message to its employees. If you speak up for what you believe in then we’ll come after you. If we can’t buy you off then we’ll make you suffer financially” If you work for the City of Edinburgh Council Whistle Blowing clearly doesn’t pay!”