Whistleblow on a trade union or an employers’ association
How to let the Certification Officer (CO) know about potential fraud or financial irregularities.
What whistleblowing is
Whistleblowing is the action someone takes to report wrongdoing that affects others, usually at work.
The wrongdoing must be in the public interest. This means it must affect others, for example the general public. Legally this is known as ‘making a disclosure in the public interest’.
Read more about whistleblowing at work on the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas) website.
Who can whistleblow to the CO
You can only whistleblow to the CO if:
- your disclosure relates to fraud or other financial irregularities at your work
- you work (or did work at the time of the incident you are disclosing) for a trade union or employers’ association
- you make the disclosure in good faith (this means you think it is the right thing to do)
- you reasonably believe that the information you want to disclose is true
The CO does not have the power to respond to any other whistleblowing concerns.
If you are not eligible to whistleblow to the CO, you may be able to report your concerns to somebody else.
How to whistleblow to the CO
If you think you are eligible to whistleblow to the CO, you can call the CO’s team (telephone: 0330 109 3602) to discuss your case before formally submitting your disclosure:
If you decide to whistleblow, email your disclosure to the CO: [email protected]
As well as disclosing the fraud or financial irregularity:
- state your relationship with the trade union or employers’ association
- provide as much evidence as possible to support your disclosure (for example what happened, who was involved, where it happened and when)
- explain why you are making the disclosure
- explain why you think the information you are providing is true
- state whether you have raised your concerns at work and what the outcome was (or explain why you have not raised concerns at work)
- tell us whether you have raised your concerns with any other body such as the police and what the outcome as
What the CO will do
The CO will consider your disclosure and contact you to tell you what happens next. She or a member of her team may also contact you for further information or clarification.
Protection for whistleblowers
Whistleblowers have legal protection. Your employer should not treat you unfairly or sack you because you have whistleblown.
Making a disclosure anonymously means it can be more difficult for you to qualify for protections as a whistleblower. This is because there would be no documentary evidence linking you to the disclosure for the CO to consider.
What to do if you’re treated unfairly after whistleblowing.
Other sources of support
If you are considering whistleblowing to the CO, you may wish to seek independent legal advice.
You can also get advice from:
- your trade union
- the Advisory, Conciliation and Arbitration Service (Acas)
- Citizens’ Advice
- Protect, the whistleblowing charity
Related guides
Report financial irregularities in a trade union or employers’ association